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CEBU CITY, Philippines - The man accused of shooting a Cebu broadcaster in 2004, an offshoot of a love triangle, was convicted of frustrated murder charges on Monday.
John Lloyd Ortiz was found guilty of shooting and wounding Cirse "Choy" Torralba in 2004.
Ortiz was sentenced to a jail term of eight years to 12 years and ordered to pay damages of P161,214.
His lawyers said they would appeal the decision of Regional Trial Court Judge Estela Alma Singco of Branch 12.
Torralba was shot in the left shoulder while he was in his car on June 8, 2004. He had just finished his radio program at Angel Radio Station at the ground floor of Vacation Hotel in Juana Osmeña Street, Cebu City when he was attacked.
Torralba told Cebu Daily News after the promulgation on Monday that he was confident he would win the case especially with the positive identification of Ortiz as the gunman through his account and those of two other witnesses.
?I'm very thankful to the judge for the justice that was rendered,? said Torralba.
Torralba also said he plans to file a disbarment case against Ortiz' lawyer, Haide Acuña, for inappropriate conduct.
Torralba said that when he was still recuperating in the hospital, Acuña visited him and asked who his witnesses were.
He said he didn't know at that time that Acuña was Ortiz' lawyer.
Asked for comment later, Acuña said: "Let him do what he wants."
Ortiz earlier pleaded not guilty to the crime. He declined to comment when the adverse decision came out.
In her decision, Singco gave weight to the positive identification of Torralba and his driver Randy Libradilla who pointed to Ortiz as the assailant.
The prosecution pointed out that Ortiz was extremely jealous of Torralba since the accused believed that the broadcaster and Ortiz' girlfriend were having a relationship.
The court also considered the presence of gunpowder nitrates in both hands of Ortiz.
The court clarified that even without the paraffin test, the positive identification by prosecution witnesses of Ortiz as the assailant was more than enough to convict him.
The court said Ortiz? alibi and denial were insufficient as a defense to prevail over the prosecution's evidence of positive identification. /With a report from Correspondent Jhunnex Napallacan
