Duterte steps in Arnaiz murder case
PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte on Wednesday said he has ordered the Secretary of Justice to take over the investigation into the killing of 19-year-old Carl Angelo Arnaiz, the University of the Philippines student tagged by police as a mugger who was found dead in Caloocan City following an alleged shoot-out.
Mr. Arnaiz’s murder happened right on the heels of the Aug. 17 killing of Kian Loyd delos Santos on the watch of Caloocan police, a controversial incident that has turned the tide of public regard toward the Duterte administration’s drugs war.
Mr. Arnaiz and a companion of his, 14-year-old Reynaldo de Guzman, were believed to have been picked up in their neighborhood in Cainta, Rizal, while they were out to buy a late-night snack.
Mr. De Guzman had been reported missing. But by Wednesday afternoon, when Mr. Duterte spoke about the Arnaiz killing before an audience observing the 60th anniversary of the Social Security System, Mr. De Guzman’s body was reported to have been found in Nueva Ecija province. Initial investigation showed the body bore at least 30 stab wounds.
Before his speaking engagement on Wednesday, Mr. Duterte met with Mr. Arnaiz’s family in Malacañang, according to Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) chief Persida V. Rueda-Acosta, who added the family had requested the meeting.
Also present in the meeting were Justice Secretary Vitaliano N. Aguirre II and Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong” T. Go.
Police had earlier claimed that Mr. Arnaiz robbed a taxi driver at gunpoint and died in the ensuing firefight with police officers. Illegal drugs were reportedly found in the boy’s possession. But relatives and friends of Mr. Arnaiz attest to his being a scholar and valedictorian, in contrast to the alleged crimes attributed to him.
PAO said an autopsy by forensic experts indicated that he was tortured before he was shot.
In his remarks, Mr. Duterte said he has “ordered the secretary of Justice to take over the investigation of the (Arnaiz murder) case”
He added: “Ang sinabi ko naman (What I said was), we will protect soldiers and policemen. No doubt about it. But there should always be the element of performance of duty and you do not kill defenseless persons.”
For her part, Senator Grace Poe in a statement said the taxi driver, Tomas Bagcal, 54, should be summoned to a Senate hearing to explain seeming contradictions in his two affidavits.
“The taxi driver, who claimed he was a victim of a robbery, executed his first affidavit on Aug. 18 that lacked important details as to the plate number of his taxi and he failed to identify the alleged robber who took his wallet. He later executed a supplemental affidavit on Aug. 29 that positively identified Arnaiz as the suspect of the purported robbery,” Ms. Poe said in a statement.
The Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs, of which the senator is vice-chairperson, is scheduled to conduct an inquiry on the Arnaiz murder. — Rosemarie A. Zamora with reports by interaksyon.com
