February 5, 2011, 9:06pm

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/302717/lozano-wants-carnap-suspects-assets-frozen

MANILA, Philippines — Marcos lawyer Oliver Lozano, the father of slain car dealer Emerson Lozano, expressed optimism Saturday that the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) will freeze P2 billion worth of assets of brothers Roger and Raymund Dominguez next week.

In the Kapihan sa Sulo forum, Lozano expressed apprehension that the Dominguez brothers, who are suspected of leading a carnapping syndicate that murdered his son and car dealer Venson Evangelista, may use their money to carry out propaganda for their acquittal.

“We expect the AMLC to rule on our petition next week. We did it so that banks will be already warned if there would be a massive withdrawal maybe on Monday or Tuesday. If that happens, the banks who will release the assets (of the Dominguez clan) and the questionable deposits will be easily known,” he said.

“We filed a petition before AMLC Friday so that they could find out if the assets are obtained through illegal means... so that they won’t be able to use it for their defense against the carnapping with murder charges or propaganda to acquit the Dominguez brothers,” the lawyer said.

Lozano said having the AMLC to freeze the bank deposits, monetary instruments, and other assets of the Dominguez brothers and Raymond’s rumored girlfriend, former starlet Katrina Paula, would significantly lessen the imminent threats on the life of Alfred Mendiola.

The grieving lawyer revealed that Mendiola, who implicated the brothers in the murder of Lozano and Evangelista, has been receiving threats following his confession of being a member of Dominguez’s carnapping syndicate.

Lozano also urged the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) to immediately put Mendiola under the Witness Protection Program, noting the possibility that the Dominguez brothers can still send illegal orders to their cohorts even from behind bars.

Raymond Dominguez had earlier denied that he and his group were involved in car theft incidents and were responsible for the killing of Lozano's son after the Lozano family filed car theft and murder charges against them.

Emerson and driver Ernani Sencil were last seen alive last Jan. 12 while meeting a prospective buyer of a Kia Carnival van in Quezon City while their burnt bodies with bullet wounds were found the next day in Tarlac and two days later in Pampanga.

Last Feb. 2, Lozano and his family filed carnapping with murder charges against the Dominguez brothers at the Department of Justice (DoJ) in connection with his son Emerson's death last month.

Lozano, his wife Norma, Emerson’s widow Rowena Lozano, Emerson’s siblings Dr. Evelyn Lozano-Natividad, Dr. Oliver Wendell Lozano, Atty. Evangeline Lozano-Endriano, Emerson’s 15-year-old daughter Pauline Lozano, and 13-year-old son Paolo Lozano filed the charges at the DoJ.

Named respondents were Raymond Dominguez, Roger Dominguez, and John Does.

In support of their complaint, the Lozanos said the group was positively identified by witness Alfred Mendiola.

The Lozanos called on the Rodriguez brothers just to own up the killing or "suffer successive stabs of karma."

"Better to plead guilty to cleanse and unburden your conscience which is God's presence in man than to rationalize brutal and beastly killings and suffer successive stabs of restless soul all the time or inescapable death by karma anytime, anywhere: Inside your cell or while traveling to the Courts of Justice," the complaint read.

The Lozano family dared the accomplices of the two prime suspects who remained at large as of this writing, to turn themselves or risk their selves being shot or killed by pursuing lawmen.

"You have nowhere to go. Your world is shrinking. You will be surely arrested surely. Better surrender with chance for rehabilitation than tightly hide and constantly cower in fear at the risk of being shot or killed in self-defense by pursuing lawmen or mangled by the maddening crowd," said the family in a seven-page affidavit.