A SENATE committee issued on Tuesday, February 27, 2024, a subpoena against a dismissed police official implicated in the disappearance of Miss Grand Philippines 2023 contestant Catherine Camilon.
During the opening of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs and Committee on Justice and Human Rights’ inquiry into the disappearance of Camilon, two of the alleged primary suspects in the case, former Police Major Allan de Castro and his driver Jeffrey Magpantay, were a no show.
In a letter addressed to the committee, De Castro said he was unable to attend the proceedings as he was taking care of his wife who is currently eight months pregnant.
"I am personally attending to her and our incoming child as I am of the impression that there is a great risk on both my wife and my child who is still in her womb," said De Castro.
"I would like to personally apologize and hereby promise to attend to your joint hearing as soon as I can, after I have ensured that my family's health and well-being are safe from danger. I will be furnishing the Honorable Committees the necessary proofs of my wife's medical condition for your reference," he added.
Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs chairman Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, who also served as a former chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said De Castro’s excuse is a “flimsy alibi.”
"Hindi naman siya nanganak, hindi naman siya manganak. Bakit hindi siya puwede pumunta? If you are listening right now, Major De Castro, alam ko nagmo-monitor ka, you should come here. Di 'yan rason na buntis ang asawa mo," Dela Rosa said.
(He did not give birth, and he is not giving birth. Why can't he attend? If you are listening right now, Major De Castro, I know you are monitoring, you should come here. Your reason that your wife is pregnant is not valid.)
"Ako noon, tatlo ang anak ko, pinanganak na wala ako sa [gilid] ng asawa ko. Nandoon ako sa bundok nag-ooperate laban sa NPA. Tatlong anak ko pinanganak na hindi ako talaga nakasama sa asawa ko sa pagpanganak. 'Yun pa buntis pa, hindi pa naman nanganak. Very flimsy alibi," he added.
(My wife delivered three children without me by her side. I was there in the mountain operating against the NPA. Three of my children were born without me by my wife’s side. His wife is still pregnant. Very flimsy alibi.)
Magpantay, for his part, said his lawyer is sick and that his vaccination card for Covid-19, a requirement of the panel, is missing.
This prompted Dela Rosa to move for the issuance of a subpoena against De Castro and Magpantay to make sure they will face the panel in the next hearing or get arrested.
With the absence of the important resource persons, Dela Rosa suspended the hearing on the matter a few minutes later.
Complaints for kidnapping and serious illegal detention were filed against De Castro, Magpantay and two other John Does over the disappearance of Camilon, who was last seen in a mall in Lemery, Batangas on October 12, 2023.
De Castro was dismissed from the service for grave misconduct after he admitted having an illicit affair with Camilon.
Magpantay surrendered to the police on January 9, 2024 for security purposes but he has yet to issue any statement about the matter while De Castro refused to appear in any of the court proceedings related to the case.
Two witnesses implicated Magpantay and two other John Does, saying they saw them transferring a bloody body of a woman whose physical features matched Camilon, from a vehicle to another in a remote area in Bauang, Batangas.
The vehicle where the woman’s body was said to be transferred was recovered in Batangas City and the hair strands and blood stains found inside matched with the DNA of Camilon’s parents.
During the hearing, a police official said they were able to trace the owner of the involved vehicle who said that he sold his vehicle way back 2013.
The police official said the owner also submitted to forensic investigation and voluntarily provided his DNA samples for crossmatching and it yielded negative results. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)
