Manila, April 22 -- The Antipolo Regional Trial Court (RTC) has convicted five men for the kidnapping and brutal killing of businessman Jose Saribong 13 years ago, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Wednesday.

In a 39-page decision promulgated on April 16, the DOJ said the accused -- Mark Stanly Banghulot, Romeo Baluran, Rudy Benega, Teody Maghuyop, and Adam Paulin- were found guilty of kidnapping for ransom with homicide and sentenced to reclusion perpetua with no eligibility for parole.

Banghulot was a business partner of Saribong, a former official of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) who was found dead despite the payment of PHP800,000 by his family to his abductors, who had originally demanded PHP40 million in...