EP29: A Secret Sealed in Steel: The Ruby Rose Barrameda Case | Philippines' Most Shocking Stories

0:06By the roadside, Rochelle is sitting on a bench with her mother and other relatives.

0:14They are watching four men holding sledgehammers break open a square, thick steel-and-cement encasement.

0:24Rochelle’s emotions are mixed.

0:26She hopes her sister Ruby Rose is not inside the thick block of cement.

0:33But they have been searching for Ruby Rose for two years.

0:36The family cannot rest because they do not know what happened to her during those two years.

0:45From a tip by a witness, their two-year search led them there, by the roadside at the port of Navotas City,

0:54where the cement block is being broken.

1:01The steel and cement are very thick and hard, so it takes time before they can see what is inside.

1:09When the cement is broken, inside is a steel drum.

1:14The drum is also filled with cement.

1:18And when the drum, steel, and cement are broken…

1:21Inside is a decomposing body.

1:25Curled up, handcuffed, feet tied, and mixed with cement.

1:32This is the story I will tell you.

1:34The brutal and horrifying killing of Ruby Rose Barrameda.

1:38The complicated movement of the case.

1:42And the heartbreaking search for justice by Rochelle and the Barrameda family for Ruby Rose, almost two decades later.

1:53She was placed inside a drum filled with cement before being thrown into the sea near Navotas Port.

2:00This was the tragic fate of Ruby Rose, sister of actress Rochelle Barrameda.

2:05Ruby Rose went missing in March 2007 after going to her husband’s house to visit her children.

2:13Her body was found in June 2009 after Manuel Montero, one of the men involved in disposing of her body, revealed its location.

2:44Ruby Rose is the youngest of five siblings.

2:47Her older sister is Rochelle Barrameda, a former model and actress.

2:52Ruby Rose was born in August 1980.

2:56In 1999, at 19 years old, she married Manuel Jimenez III, also known as “Third.”

3:03Third is the son of Manuel Jimenez Jr., a lawyer.

3:08Manuel Jimenez Jr. is the brother of Lope Jimenez, owner of Buena Suerte Jimenez Fishing and Trading Company or BSJ Fishing.

3:18Their compound is in Malabon, near Navotas port where they run their business.

3:26Lope Jimenez is known as a fishing magnate and owner of BSJ Fishing.

3:31The Jimenez family is believed to be wealthy and powerful.

3:36Remember these people because later I will explain how they are connected to this case.

3:48In almost eight years together, Third and Ruby Rose had two children.

3:53But in 2007, their relationship started to break down.

3:57According to Rochelle, Ruby Rose told her that Third would hurt her during their fights.

4:06In January 2007, there was an incident where Ruby Rose could no longer take the alleged abuse.

4:14She left their home and stayed at Rochelle’s house.

4:18But Third’s side said the abuse was not true and that Ruby Rose was not a battered wife.

4:25Ruby Rose’s two children stayed in their home in BF Homes Las Piñas with their father, Third.

4:32So Ruby Rose filed a custody case to get her children.

4:38After a few months, the court gave custody to Third Jimenez.

4:48Ruby Rose filed a motion for reconsideration.

4:51She was supposed to face cross-examination in court on March 16, 2007.

5:02But two days before that… Ruby Rose went missing.

5:12March 14, 2007, 12:30 noon.

5:16Ruby Rose told Rochelle she would visit her children in BF Homes, using a green Mitsubishi Galant.

5:24At around 4 PM, Rochelle got a call from Ruby Rose’s friends.

5:30They were worried because Ruby Rose was not answering texts or calls.

5:33She had three cellphones, and none could be reached.

5:38Rochelle said that was impossible.

5:41Even when Ruby Rose was with her in-laws, she could still be contacted.

5:45But when Rochelle called herself, none of the phones worked.

5:51So she asked their house helper to call the landline of Third’s house.

5:57Third’s father answered and said Ruby Rose was not there.

6:04Rochelle became even more worried.

6:06She also called and texted Third, but he did not respond.

6:14Rochelle noticed that the Jimenez family did not seem worried that Ruby Rose was missing.

6:22They did not even ask what happened.

6:27The Barrameda family went to the police.

6:29They went to the media and announced that Ruby Rose was missing.

6:35They even offered a reward for information.

6:41Hours turned into days, days into months, until it became two years with no word from Ruby Rose.

6:52Then a key eyewitness came forward.

6:59May 18, 2009.

7:01After more than two years of a dead end, authorities got a lead.

7:07The Barrameda family had hope again.

7:10Manuel Montero came forward.

7:17He was the Chief Operations Manager of BSJ Fishing.

7:22This company is owned by the Jimenez family.

7:29According to Montero, Ruby Rose was already dead.

7:33And according to the testimony submitted by Montero to the authorities in 2009…

7:38He said the masterminds were Manuel Jimenez Jr. and Lope Jimenez.

7:48Also involved were Eric Fernandez, driver of Lope…

7:52Spyke Descalso, bodyguard of Third…

7:56and Obet Ponce, another employee.

8:05Montero said he knew everything because he took part in the killing, the cementing, and the dumping of Ruby Rose in the sea.

8:14And in his account when he surrendered, these were the things that allegedly happened:

8:22March 12, 2007, two days before the killing…

8:27The kidnapping and killing were planned in a conference room at BSJ.

8:36Ruby Rose was kidnapped on March 14 in BF Homes Las Piñas.

8:42Montero said he did not take part in the kidnapping.

8:45He was waiting at the compound.

8:50The group arrived in a white Ford van, followed by a green Galant.

8:59The green car was the same one Ruby Rose used.

9:04It was driven by Obet Ponce.

9:07Montero said the Ford van stopped.

9:10Inside the van, Montero saw Ruby Rose.

9:13She was handcuffed, tied, and gagged.

9:18He asked her what she had done, but she gave no answer.

9:26She was taken to a warehouse.

9:31There, Montero saw Spyke strangle her with a rope until she died.

9:39Her body was placed in a steel drum and filled with cement.

9:49The drum was placed inside a large steel case and also filled with cement.

10:03Montero said that he was the one who welded the steel encasement to seal it.

10:10The next day, March 15.

10:12From the BSJ compound, they loaded the steel encasement onto a truck, then brought it to Navotas port and loaded it onto a tugboat.

10:20They brought the steel encasement containing the body of Ruby Rose out to the sea near Navotas and dumped it there.

10:27All of this was known to Montero because he said he was with them when they disposed of Ruby Rose in the sea.

10:34After throwing it into the sea, they returned to the BSJ compound.

10:38There, they allegedly met with Manuel Jimenez Jr., and each of them was given fifty thousand pesos.

10:46And the green Galant?

10:47They chopped it up and burned it so there would be no evidence.

10:51Montero said that the motive of the Jimenez brothers, Manuel Jr. and Lope, for killing Ruby Rose

10:59was their anger over the shame brought to their family because of the child custody battle that Ruby Rose filed in court.

11:08He said that Lope himself told him this.

11:11So why did Montero suddenly come forward, and why did he confess?

11:16Because, according to him, a few months after the crime, he became afraid and was bothered by his conscience.

11:24He also said that he could no longer contact some of the others involved in the crime,

11:28and he felt that something bad might happen to him.

11:31He said he approached Lope to ask if he could resign, but he was not allowed to do so.

11:36And that was when he went to the authorities.

11:39He pointed out to the authorities the area in the sea where they dumped the steel encasement.

11:45And because the encasement was heavy and filled with thick cement,

11:49it was not easily carried away or moved from the place where it was originally dropped.

11:54So within two days, the authorities found the steel encasement.

12:04June 10, 2009.

12:07More than two years after Ruby Rose went missing, the search finally came to an end.

12:11Using the sketch of the area made by Montero,

12:14the steel encasement was located and retrieved by authorities from the waters of Navotas.

12:22It was brought to Navotas port where Rochelle, along with the mother, father, relatives, and friends of Ruby Rose, were waiting.

12:30Sitting on a bench, the Barrameda family could not stop crying.

12:35By this time, they already knew the account of Montero and how Ruby Rose was killed.

12:43In front of them, the steel case, which weighed about two tons, was opened.

12:49The cement was broken and chipped away to reach the steel drum inside.

12:55And inside the drum was the body of Ruby Rose, also encased in cement.

13:03It took four hours before the body was fully recovered.

13:08And when it was seen, the body was already in an advanced state of decomposition.

13:13So the cause of death could no longer be determined.

13:16It also could not be determined if she had been tortured.

13:19The exact time of death could no longer be established.

13:22The body was brought to the crime lab.

13:24And after examination, it was identified as Ruby Rose through the clothes she was wearing,

13:30other personal items such as earrings that Rochelle identified, and through dental records.

13:37After knowing what happened to Ruby Rose, the next fight was to hold those behind the crime accountable.

13:48August 2, 2009.

13:50The Department of Justice filed a murder case against

13:53Manuel Jimenez Jr., Lope Jimenez, Lennard “Spyke” Descalso, Eric Fernandez, Roberto “Obet” Ponce, and Manuel Montero.

14:03In interviews with the media and in statements reported from the suspects’ camp,

14:09all of them denied that they were involved in the crime.

14:12Manuel Jimenez Jr. said that he had nothing to do with the crime,

14:16and that he was not living in BF Homes Las Piñas but in BF Homes Parañaque.

14:23He also said that he was not the owner of BSJ Fishing Company and that he and his brother Lope were not on good terms,

14:31and in fact, they had not spoken for a long time and Lope did not even attend the wedding of Ruby Rose and Third.

14:39Lope said the same thing, that they were not in contact as brothers

14:43and that he had no involvement in the issue between Third and Ruby Rose.

14:47Spyke, who was identified by Rochelle as Third’s bodyguard, said that it was not true that he was an aide of Third.

14:53On March 12, 2007, the day that Montero said the killing was being planned,

15:00Spyke said that he was in a hospital in Cavite because he had surgery for gallstones,

15:05so he said it was impossible for him to be involved in the killing on March 14.

15:10Eric Fernandez and Obet Ponce also claimed that they were never ordered to kill Ruby Rose.

15:17On March 1, 2010, the Department of Justice also filed a parricide case against Manuel Jimenez III.

15:24Montero said in his statement that he heard Spyke talking to Third on the phone,

15:31and Spyke allegedly said that he would receive a bonus from Third

15:35because his problem with Ruby Rose had already been taken care of.

15:38Third appealed to the Office of the President.

15:41After two years, the Office of the President denied his appeal.

15:47When the cases reached the court, the exchanges of petitions became complicated and long.

15:53The Department of Justice requested that Montero be made a state witness.

15:57This was opposed by the Jimenez camp in court, and the motion of the accused was granted.

16:03But this was later reversed by a new judge handling the case, so Montero was allowed to become a state witness.

16:10Because of this, the accused questioned the new judge and asked him to inhibit himself from the case.

16:17However, the Court of Appeals found no abuse of authority, so the judge was not removed from the case.

16:23There were still many exchanges of appeals and the filing of different petitions that even reached

16:29that even reached the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court.

16:33There was even an issue of missing files in Malacañang.

16:36The case files of Third’s appeal to the Office of the President, asking that the case against him be dropped, went missing.

16:45And because they were missing,

16:47Third filed a petition in court to suspend the hearing of his parricide case until Malacañang could make a decision.

16:55Because of this, the hearing of the parricide case was delayed.

16:59Eventually, the documents were found hidden in a filing cabinet of an undersecretary

17:07in the Office of the Deputy Executive Secretary in Malacañang.

17:12The lawyer was dismissed due to misconduct and serious dishonesty.

17:18All the petitions, appeals, and counter-appeals in this case resulted in a very long legal battle that lasted for many years.

17:29In the middle of all this, on November 8, 2012, the National Bureau of Investigation arrested Obet Ponce in Cauayan, Isabela.

17:37In an interview with the media, he said that he was given a monthly allowance of seven thousand pesos by his boss,

17:44Third, the husband of Ruby Rose, so that he would stay in hiding.

17:48Ponce admitted that he, together with Spyke Descalso and Eric Fernandez, placed the body of Ruby Rose inside the drum.

17:55He also admitted that they were the ones who poured cement into it.

18:00But he said that he had nothing to do with the killing of the victim.

18:04He also said that they were ordered by Manuel Jimenez Jr.

18:08to fetch Ruby Rose from her house in BF Homes Las Piñas and bring her to Malabon,

18:14where the BSJ compound is located.

18:17And after the crime, they were allegedly given a monthly allowance of seven thousand pesos.

18:23But later on, Ponce took back everything that he said.

18:32Even though the case dragged on because of the many petitions, appeals, and counter-appeals,

18:38the Barrameda family patiently waited for the outcome.

18:42But in February 2013, six years after Ruby Rose was killed, the state witness Montero changed his story.

18:51Montero recanted and withdrew all of his testimony, and he also refused to continue being a state witness.

18:58He sent a withdrawal of consent to the Malabon Regional Trial Court.

19:04He said there that he was troubled by his conscience, so he was taking back all of his testimony.

19:09He said that his earlier statement was not true and was all lies, and that someone had dictated to him what to say in his testimony.

19:19He also said that the accused were not the ones who threw the steel case containing Ruby Rose into Navotas where it was found.

19:30He said that the steel case came from Bacoor, Cavite, and that it was only planted or brought to Navotas

19:37a few days before he pointed out its location.

19:41But before the cross-examination of Montero could continue to examine his recantation,

19:47in March 2013, Montero disappeared.

19:52He left without permission from the Regional Police Intelligence Operations Unit at Camp Bagong Diwa

19:58and went missing while under police custody.

20:03And since then, nothing has been heard or reported about what happened to him.

20:09So what do you think happened to the case?

20:13The cases collapsed, and along with them, the justice that the Barrameda family had been waiting for also fell apart.

20:23And because Montero was gone and had withdrawn all of his testimony, the accused were allowed to post bail.

20:31July 10, 2019.

20:34In the decision of Judge Edwin Larida Jr.,

20:37the murder case against Manuel Jimenez Jr., Lope Jimenez, Lennard “Spyke” Descalso, Roberto “Obet” Ponce,

20:47and Eric Fernandez was dismissed.

20:49This was because of lack of probable cause and lack of evidence due to Montero’s recantation.

20:57And one month later, the parricide case against Third Jimenez was also dismissed.

21:04But the Barrameda family has not given up.

21:07According to their lawyer, the story does not end there.

21:11They still hope that those behind the crime will be held accountable

21:15if there is new evidence that can be used as a reason to appeal or reopen the case.

21:28And then, six years later,

21:30there was another crime where the method of killing a businessman was similar to what was done to Ruby Rose.

21:38In January 2025, a man named Victor Vidal Dueñas was arrested

21:44as the suspected mastermind in the kidnapping and killing of a businessman.

21:50The body of the businessman was placed inside a drum and buried in the ground in a remote area in Bulacan.

21:58And when Victor Dueñas was visited by his lawyer in jail,

22:03the lawyer introduced himself as the lawyer of Lope Jimenez.

22:09But when he was interviewed by the media, the lawyer immediately denied that he was there to visit a certain Lope Jimenez

22:16Rochelle went to the Quezon City Police Department to see the suspect, Victor Dueñas,

22:23to check if he was Lope Jimenez who had been hiding for 16 years.

22:28And Rochelle positively identified that Dueñas and Lope Jimenez were the same person.

22:36But Dueñas denied it and said that he only looked like Lope Jimenez.

22:41So the authorities are checking the proof of identification of Dueñas and Lope to confirm whether they are the same person.

22:50However, more than a year has passed and there is still no report from the authorities about the result of that identification check.

23:00The search for justice for Ruby Rose has been very long.

23:04Nineteen years have passed since she was brutally killed, and no one has been held accountable.

23:09The first testimony of former state witness Manuel Montero was very detailed about the alleged events of the crime.

23:18Rochelle cannot help but wonder what really happened to Montero, or if something happened to him.

23:30But for Rochelle, she will not stop searching for justice for her sister, no matter how long it takes.

23:49What do you think?

23:51Is there still hope for Ruby Rose to get justice?

23:56Is there another way, aside from relying on a witness, to solve Ruby Rose’s case?

24:04Could there still be other witnesses or other evidence?

24:08Does this story make you think?

24:12Share your reactions and opinions in the comments.

24:16Share, like, and do not forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel.

24:23I am Jeff Caparas.

24:25And this is Philippines’ Most Shocking Stories.