No conclusion on Failon wife’s death yet – DOJ chief

MANILA, Philippines - The National Bureau of Investigation has no conclusion yet on the death of the wife of broadcaster Ted Failon (Mario Teodoro Etong), but the Justice department chief said Thursday they would come up with a report "soon." Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Raul Gonzalez said in a radio interview that the latest information he got from the NBI early this week was on ballistics tests and forensic findings. "Wala pang conclusion. Kino-compare nila ang nakita nila sa findings sa ballistics, sa blood traces, forensic, pero wala silang conclusion," Gonzalez said in an interview on dzXL radio. [The NBI still has no conclusion. In our last briefing, it just presented its findings on ballistics, blood traces, forensics, but there was no conclusion yet.] Failon’s wife, Trinidad Etong, was found shot and bloodied inside the comfort room of their house in Quezon City last April 15. She died in a hospital a day later. But when asked when the NBI would come out with its findings and conclusions, Gonzalez said "it won’t be long." He did not elaborate. Gonzalez added he has been taking a hands-off stance on the investigation even if the NBI is under his department’s supervision. Earlier, the NBI said their investigation into the mystery surrounding Eton’s death was leaning toward suicide. During the last week of April, NBI director Nestor Mantaring said their probe so far has not yet established that foul play was behind Etong’s death. "We have not established yet that there is a crime. If it is suicide, then there is no crime," he said. NBI spokesperson Ricardo Diaz, however, stopped short of declaring the incident as a case of suicide, because they still needed the help of the Philippine National Police (PNP), which first looked into Etong’s death. Should the NBI declare that Etong indeed committed suicide, it would lend credence to the findings of two private forensic experts commissioned by the Failon family. University of the Philippines forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun and Dr. Erwin Erfe from the Ateneo de Manila University said Etong’s gunshot wounds indicate that she likely committed suicide. - with Sophia Dedace, GMANews.TV