Photo courtesy from Rochelle Barrameda Labarda

It’s been almost 18 years, but the Barrameda family’s pursuit of justice for Ruby Rose took a significant turn on January 10, 2025. After years of uncertainty and heartache, actress Rochelle Barrameda finally came face-to-face with one of the key suspects in her sister’s tragic 2007 murder. Ruby Rose’s body was discovered in a drum, dumped off Navotas City—an image that has haunted her family for nearly two decades.

On Friday night, Rochelle visited Camp Karingal in Quezon City to identify a man who was arrested under the name "Victor Dueñas." After a tense confrontation, she was able to confirm that he was, in fact, Lope Jimenez, a fishing magnate and the uncle of Ruby Rose’s husband, Manuel Jimenez III.

In an interview, Rochelle was asked if she believed that the man standing before her was truly the one responsible for her sister’s death. Her response was firm and unwavering. "Yes po, malakas po ang aming paniniwala na yung nadakip po noong January 10, 2025 yun po ay si Lope Jimenez."

As the man denied his identity, claiming it was just a case of mistaken identity, Rochelle stood her ground. "He's denying po na siya si Lope Jimenez, nung nagkaharap kami sinabi niya sa akin na baka nagkamali lang po ako," she recalled. But despite his denial, the Barrameda family remains convinced of his involvement.

So, what convinced Rochelle and her family that Lope Jimenez was indeed the man they had been seeking for years? "Ang basehan ko po kasi during the time na missing po yung kapatid ko nagkaroon kami ng surveillance. Although I am very very careful about na madamay sila, pero nung time na iyon, malakas ang paniniwala namin na sila ang behind doon sa pagkawala ng kapatid ko," she explained. Though they didn’t know Ruby Rose had already passed away, Rochelle’s gut feeling and their investigation pointed them in Jimenez’s direction.

Rochelle continued, describing how her memory of Jimenez was sharpened over the years. "Nakita ko yung built niya at that time chubby pa po siya, and the second time na nakita ko po siya nung nagkaroon po ng preliminary investigation sa Department of Justice. Kaya ako po mismo, kahit doon po sa dalawang beses na nakita ko siya, naniniwala po ako na siya yun."

But why did Jimenez allegedly have a motive to harm Ruby Rose? Rochelle connected the dots, explaining that Lope Jimenez’s brother, Atty. Jimenez Jr.—Ruby Rose’s father-in-law—had reportedly ordered the “liquidation” of Ruby Rose. "Siya po yung may mga tauhan, kumbaga siya yung liquidation squad, kaya siya yung sinabihan ni Atty. Jimenez na iligpit si Ruby Rose."

The pain of losing her sister is compounded by the cruel details Rochelle revealed about the case. "Actually, naging matindi ang impact sa aking ng tao na ito, dahil bago patayin ang kapatid ko, nakapagsabi pa yung witness namin na si Manuel Montero na, ‘Gawin niyo na kung anong gusto niyong gawin,’" she said. Montero witnessed how they even planned to rape Ruby Rose before ultimately ending her life. "Napakasama, napakademonyo," Rochelle added with visible anger.

For the Barrameda family, this moment of identification was long awaited. "Itong mga taong ‘to hindi na dapat nabubuhay eh," Rochelle said, expressing her feelings of justice after such a long struggle. "Parang sa akin, we've been praying for this for a long time. Salamat sa Diyos, it's a really happy new year para sa Barrameda family dahil nadakip siya, hindi man bilang Lope Jimenez, doon man sa ibang kaso."

For the Barrameda family, though the journey is far from over, this arrest marks a small but powerful victory in their quest for justice.