Man who brought Castillo to hospital a UST law student, a 'person of interest' —MPD

The Manila Police District (MPD) is now treating the man who brought hazing victim Horacio Castillo III to the hospital on Sunday morning as a person of interest.

MPD director Chief Superintendent Joel Coronel said they will invite John Paul Sarte Solano for clarification on his testimony, which is inconsistent with the accounts of officials of Barangay 133 in Manila.

In the police's spot report, Solano claimed that he found Castillo at the corner of H. Lopez and Infanta streets in Barangay 133 around 8 a.m. on Sunday.

Solano said he was on his way to the San Lazaro Hospital, where he works, when he saw the law student's body. He claimed flagging down a red Strada pick-up to help him bring Castillo to the Chinese General Hospital.

Coronel, however, said that barangay officials told them no body was found in their barangay and nearby areas.

"Batas sa mga testigo sa lugar wala silang napansin na ganung insidente noong oras na binabanggit ni Solano," Coronel said in an Unang Balita interview.

"So far ang kanyang (Solano) statement ay inconsistent with testimonies given by the barangay officials," he added.

Solano also a UST law student

Based on the MPD's interview with personnel of the San Lazaro Hospital, investigators found out that Solano was a part-time employee and a law student at the University of Santo Tomas (UST).

Police had confirmed that Castillo died due to hazing. The 22-year-old victim, who was also a law student at the UST, left home on Saturday for the "welcoming rites" of the Aegis Juris Fraternity.

In an interview with GMA News, Barangay 133 CCTV operator Arnel Rovillo said Solano's claim was "impossible."

Rovillo said there are several CCTV cameras installed around the barangay.

He said that after hearing news about Castillo, they repeatedly checked the recordings of their CCTV camera installed near the corner of H. Lopez and Infanta streets, but failed to find a footage that would confirm Solano's claim.

Rovillo said they also checked their other CCTV camera recordings, but also yielded negative results.

"Nagulat lang po kami dahil sinabi po na may bangkay daw po na [nakita dito sa amin]. Wala naman pong report sa aming barangay. 'Pag may napapatay dito dinudumog na po agad ng mga tao 'yan kaya imposibleng mayroong tinapon na bangkay doon," he added.

Rovillo also said that they would also learn if a body was dumped in nearby barangays.

Friends, social media

Meanwhile, Coronel said social media posts and information given by Castillo's friends are a big help to the MPD's efforts to determine who are the people responsible for Castillo's death.

He added that the UST student council and management are also providing information to police investigators.

Coronel said that aside from Solano, they also have a list of persons of interest based on the information they have gathered from the university.

Aside from Solano, a certain Axel Hipe had been mentioned by Castillo's family.

They said Hipe was the last person contacted by Castillo, based on the victim's phone records.

Hipe is allegedly a member of the same fraternity.

Coronel also said that they are verifying information from Castillo's family that an Uber driver brought the victim's personal belongings to their home on Makati City.

He said they are still checking if the person was indeed an Uber driver. —report from Saleema Refran/ALG/KVD, GMA News