Parents of the murdered Spanish surfer seek Marcos’ help

THE parents of the Spanish surfer who died in an alleged buy bust in 2020 sought an audience with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to seek his support in obtaining justice for their son, who considered the Philippines a “paradise.”

Alberto Bello and Pilar Lafuente are back in the Philippines to continue the quest for justice for their son as they thanked the National Bureau of Investigation, the Ombudsman and the Commission on Human Rights for their assistance.

Through interpreter Lally Hidalgo San Jose, Pilar said Wednesday that she and her husband “would like to have an interview with President Marcos, the highest authority in the country, if possible.”

Pilar said they believe the president can “ensure that the law is followed and (make people) realize that this should never happen again.”

She said Diego had considered the Philippines his paradise.

“He wanted to raise a family here,” Pilar added.

She said locals “loved Diego and therefore don’t understand why this happened.”

Alberto said they lost their son, “but the Philippines lost an adopted son.”

They insisted that their son was not on any drug watch list, contrary to the claim of his killers, identified as Captain Wise Vicente Panuelos and Staff Sergeants Ronel Pazo and Nido Boy Cortes.

“There was no trace of gunpowder in his hands and he did not fire the gun. He had no drugs on him and the autopsy showed no trace of drugs in his body,” Pilar said.

“In Spain they wouldn’t understand why there were such delays in getting justice (in the Philippines). This case is alive and well in Spain. The (Spanish) press is on top of it. They monitor it every day. When they were told that the suspects had not been taken to the city jail, they couldn’t believe it. In Spain, if the judge issues an order, it is executed immediately,” she said.

Pilar said Diego “knew very well that drug use would cause serious problems for him. He had traveled to Australia, Thailand, Mexico, Germany and England,’ but he never had any problems with the authorities there.