REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES)

QUEZON CITY ) S.S.

eou NTER-AFFIDAVIT
(1.5. No. 08-17"52, Bersamln, et

at.

vs. Valera, et al.)

I, VICENTEISIDf(O P. VALERA, 63 years old, married, and a resident of 26 Guerrero St., Xavierville I Subdivision, Quezon City, being under oath, depose and say that '

1. I deny that I am behind the killing of former Congressman Luis Bersarnln, Jr. (or Chito). I have no reason to have him killed since in his lifetirne we were both close: to each other, personally and politically, The mother of Chito, the late Rosario Purrugganan Bersarnin, and my mother, Violeta Paredes Valera, were close relatives who were
scions of the Paredes cian of Abra. Chito's father, Or. Luis Bersamin, Sr. (affectionately called Doe Luis by Abrenos) and my father, Jose (Pepito) Valera, were so close to each other (barkadas) that when they got married, they set their marriage dates almost at the same time. The closeness of these two families were such that their ancestral houses in Abra were beside each other and were connected to each other by a wooden bridge through which members of either family could easily cross any time, even at night, to be with the members of the other. The two families were as one.

2.

In the elections in the mid 19605, Pepito and Doc Luis ran under the same ticket for Governor arid Vice-Governor, respectively, of Abra. Unfortunately, both lost. Doe Luis was my ninong when I was bapitized. My mother was the ninang of Chito when he got married. My wife, Ma. Zita Claustra Valera (or Ching) was the consistent ninang of the three daughters of Chito, namely Charito, Maryanne and Michelle, when they got married. The closeness of our parents extended to us, their children. Chito and I, being almost of the same age, with Chito a little more than a year older than me, grew up together almost like brothers in the same aforesaid houses and studied in the same school in Abra. In our college days, my
brother Raman and I, along with our other contemporaries from Abra, would often spend our free times at the apartment at Scout Ybardoza Street, Quezon City where Chito and his brothers Eustaqiuo (or Takit, who is presently the Governor of Abra) and Lucas (or Luke, now a Justice of tile Court of Appeals) were staying. Luke and I entered the seminary in our high school years. Both Chito and I worked as clerks at the law office of the late Don Quintin Paredes while we were pursuing our college studies.

3. I first entered politics in '1986 when I was appointed' OIC.Governor of Abra. In 1986, after I had been appolnted OIC-Governor of Abra, I worked for the appointment of Chito as the Ole-Mayor of Bangued,
the capital town of Abra. I call thus claim in all' modesty that I sponsored

",

Chito's entry to politics. In the 1988 elections, Chito and I ran and won under the same ticket for Mayor of Bangued and Governor of Abra, respectively. \fJe were reelected for three consecutive terms under the same political alliance. In 1999, upon the expirations of our respective three-term limitations

as Governor of Abra and Mayor of Bangued, I ran for Congressman of Abra, while Chito ran for Vice Governor of Abra. My wife Ching ran for Governor of Abra. 'Ne all won under the same political ticket. In the 2001 elections, I was again elected Governor, Chito was elected Congressman, while Ching was elected Mayor of 8angued. Sometime prior to the May 2004 elections, some sectors, including our own political supporters, were advocating for a change in the congressional representation in Abra. Specifically, they wanted my wife Ct1ing to run for Congress. Chito and I and our supporters lengthily discussed our political futures and strategies in our desire to preserve our political and personal.unions. This resulted in the execution on January 3 -1, 2004 of a Covenant of Unity (a copy of which is hereto attached as Annex A), which was signed or followed and conformed to by Ching, Chito and me and our political supporters, including incumbent mayors of the various towns of Abra. Under this covenant, Ching, Chito and I would ran for reelections for our respective positions, and that after the 2004 elections, LH. the 2007 elections, Ching would run for Congress while Chito would run for Mayor of Bangued, Abra. i was to run for re-election as Governor. In tne last 2007 elections, with the death of Chito. there were inevitable changes in our political set up. I fan for Congress against Cecilia L.una who was now allied with Eustaquio (Takits) Bersarnin who ran for Governor against my wife Ching. My wife, Ching lost, while ! am still awaiting the resolution of the ejection case , filed and is now pending before the Supreme Court, 4. Considering the foregoing personal and political circumstances, I had no personal or political reason to cause or even just wish for the death of Chito. Chito and ! never had any serious personal or political differences. We had campaigned together and for each other in all the elections since 1988 up to the 2004 elections. My wife Ching's and my . political futures were well secured even beyond, or so we had hoped) the 2004 elections, and made more secure by the support of Chito and his followers. There was, therefore, no reason why I would want Chito out since his loss would also be both a persona! and a political loss to us. 5.

My wife and i were ourselves present at, as we were invited to,

of Luke's

the' wedding

daughter at the Mount Carmel Church oh the afternoon of December 16, 2006. At the church and prior to the ceremonies, Chinq and I exchanged greetings, jokes and other pleasantries with Chito and the other guests. Chito even introduced us to the wedding sponsors. Ourino the mass, Ching and I occupied a pew, beside Or. Pat Abaya, Cl first cousin of Chito, among others. After the

mass, and while the usual picture takings were going on, Ching and L together with the other guests, ieft ahead for thehotei where the reception would be held. It was when we were already at the hotel that we were informed that Chito and his bodyguard had been shot to death. 6. I categorically deny the imputations linking me behind the death of Chito. I never met with Freddie Dupa or with anybody else to plot the death of Chito. It is also not true, as otnerwise stated in the affidavit of Freddie Dupo, that after the death of Chito. ! talked \Nitrl him over the cell phone after he had talked with Leo Bello and that I provided him financial assistance. I do know Dupo since he was once the Vice Mayor of La Paz, Abra. Sometime in 2004., Dupo was ambushed. f\t his request, I helped him with his hospital expenses. He .suspected the Bernoses, who were once his political allies, to be behind the attempt on his life. I advised him to file charges against those responsible, but he told me that it would be better for him just to leave Abra since his enemies would not stop until he is eliminated. After the shooting of Chito, Dupo was heard over the Bombo Radyo station in Vigan City denying any participation in the death of Chito. 7. \Nhile I, personally. would have no reason to cast aspersions on Chito, nonetheless, ! can only speculate as to some reasons which could be behind his death. Sornetirnein December 22, 2006, the Agustin Begnalen Command, which reportedly commands the New People's Army in Abra, came out with a press statement (a copy of which is hereto attached as Annex B) assailing the personal and political conduct of Chito. A copy of this press statement was personally delivered to the Office of the Governor at the capitol of Abra and one of my staff gave me a copy .. This press statement specifically referred to the brutal siaying on November 29, 2005 of Albsrt Terredano. So far as I can recall and on the basis of information relayed to me, sometime in 2005, Chilo, who was then the incumbent Congressman, had a dialogue with a farmers' group in Abra. In that meeting, a certain Albert Terredano asked Chito regarding the use of his congressional funds for agricultural projects in Abra. A heated discussion between Chito and Terredano reportedly ensued which seemed to place Chito In a bad light. Several months later, Terrecano, who was reportedly a ranking member of the Bayan Muna in Abra, was shot to .death while on his way to the office. 8. The deaths of Chito and Terredano and, apparently also tbe ambush on Freddie Dupo, may not be isolated from the local culture of violence that Abra has been notorious for. Since time immemorial, killings in Abra have occurred for a variety of reasons: personal, political, official, .aqranan, etc., and lately, the involvement of the New People's Army and its allied organizations. In this regard, it may be appropriate to mention here the reported killing of four people purportedly by the New People's Army in connivance with local politicians, as reported in page A-23 of the April 9, 2008 issue of the Philippine Star (a copy of which is hereto attached as Annex C hereof), . Mention may also be made here that in the middle of April, this year, Atty. Dernetrio Pre, a 72 year old law qraduate from the UP., was shot to death right inside his residence located just near the provincial capitol, by

qunrnen who remain unidentified to this day. And on the afternoon of that same day, the security detail at the 8angued municipal hall was also shot to death by unidentified men. In a way, I can only be thankful that I was no longer the Governor and already effectively out of Abra politics when the foregoing incidents happened, otherwise, unscrupulous persons might also connect me to these incidents ..

Relative to the police investigation In connection with the death of Chito, I was informed that at about 8:00 p.rn, on December 16, 2006, or 9.
barely three hours after Chito and his bodyguard were shot, the police investigators were already showing sketches of the alleged assailants to Allan Sawadan at the hospital to where Sawadan had been rushed for treatment. Sawadan was Chito's driver who had exchanged gun fires with the assailants and was also shot at. Sawadan was, therefore, in a position to identify the assailants. However, Sawadan informed the investigators that the sketches did not resernole the persons of the assailants. Much later. when Sawadan was already recuperating in his hometown at Abra, he was again visited by police investigators urging him to sign a prepared sworn statement implicating some persons in the death of Chito. but Sawadan refused to do so. Attached hereto as Annex D hereof is a copy of an Affidavit, dated January 23, 2007, of Sawadan detailing the attempts of police investigators to lure him into signing a sworn statement along the lines wanted by the police. I was informed that before Sawadan executed this sworn statement, he first consulted a lawyer and a priest of his confidence in Laoag, lIocos Norte. Also, lately, I was informed that sometime on March 29 of this year, Sawadan was shot by a group of persons at the poblacion of Bangued, Abra. He was hit at his leg, but he survived. He is reported to be now in hiding, apparently fearing for his life. I was also informed that the men who shot him had already been identified and/or that there are also suspects, but it seems that the police are not doing anything towards the apprehension of the malefactors or the filing of the corresponding complaints against them.
10. Whoever may be responsible for the death of Chito also wife Ching out of the' Abra political

succeeded in taking me and my scene. Our political foes successfully capitalized on the innuendoes and propaganda linking me to the death of Chito.

rumors,

,-----' (I ..--,'

,I

V1CEN~~RO

P. VALERA

\ffiant

Subscribed and sworn to before me this 6th day of May 2006.

G,sdoK'
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I '\
RAULA, JR. Prosecutor
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,\

ASsistan Ci

I hereby certify that I have personally . amined the affiant and ( am

satisfied that he voluntarily executed and unders

/;;\ /1)

od his affidavit.

GIBSON Assistant