PROSPERIDAD, Agusan del Sur (MindaNews / 16 Nov)—The confessed killer of a mining executive in Agusan del Sur was given a 10-year prison term by a local court here on Wednesday.
According to provincial prosecutor Ceferino Dino Paredes, Jeffrey Mamerto, a former New People’s Army guerrilla, pleaded guilty to the lesser offense of homicide instead of murder as he entered into a plea bargaining agreement during pre-trial hearing at the Regional Trial Court Branch 6.
As a result, Mamerto was meted out the penalty of being in prison for 10 years, Paredes added.
Mamerto, who is currently detained at the Agusan del Sur provincial jail, has been facing a murder charge for allegedly pulling the trigger against retired Army Col. Samuel Afdal last Oct. 26, 2021 in Barangay Santa Cruz, Rosario town, while he was driving toward a new mining prospect.
Afdal used to be president and chief executive officer of Philsaga Mining Corp., which operates a gold mining tenement in Rosario, Agusan del Sur under a Mineral Production Sharing Agreement with the government. He later sold his interests in the company to start a new one as well as engage in the minerals drilling business in the area.
When he was at the helm of Philsaga, Afdal struck a path-breaking deal with the Manobo tribe that stipulated royalty payments way higher than what is mandated by law. He was also known for his philanthropy initiatives in the province.
Several weeks prior to Wednesday’s pre-trial hearing, Mamerto executed a judicial affidavit owning up to the kill job against Afdal for a promised reward of P50,000.
In his confession, Mamerto also pointed to three more co-conspirators, one of whom he tagged as the mastermind. This became the basis for Afdal’s widow to file a complaint for murder against three more suspects before the provincial prosecutor’s office last month.
Afdal’s widow, Evelyn, entered the courtroom calmly for Wednesday’s hearing, accompanied by her legal team as well as siblings of her late husband.
Although Afdal initially survived the attack, he eventually succumbed to his gunshot wounds on Nov. 15, 2021 while being treated in a hospital. (Chris V. Panganiban / MindaNews)
