Gamboa sued over alleged concealment of evidence in murder case

Lawyer Glenn Chong and private citizen Jeanette Santillan have sued Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Police General Archie Gamboa for grave misconduct and obstruction of criminal prosecution, among other administrative charges, over alleged concealment of evidence in a murder case.

In a 25-page complaint filed before the Office of the Ombudsman on Tuesday, August 18, Chong and Santillan accused Gamboa of concealing crime scene photographs in connection with the death of Chong’s bodyguard and Jeanette’s husband, Richard Santillan, in December 2018 in Cainta, Rizal.

The complainants argued that they sent several letters to various police units between December 2018 and January 2019 for access to said photographs and other evidence, but did not get a response from Police Regional Officer 4A and PNP Headquarters.

They also cited that the National Bureau of Investigation, the Public Attorney’s Office, and the Commission on Human Rights all said that the PNP refused to grant access to material records and evidence pertaining to Santillan's killing during a Senate probe in February 2019.

While the Senate probe prompted the PNP to release pertinent documents, the complainants said that the PNP “did not release all material records.”

The complainants claimed that Gamboa had the “intent to impair their availability or admissibility as evidence in the said investigation and prosecution, and thereby frustrating and causing undue delays, thereof.”

“Gamboa cannot feign ignorance of the urgency, relevance and materiality of the crime scene photographs requested by complainants,” the complainants said.

In March this year, two policemen who were allegedly involved in Santillan’s murder voluntarily surrendered to authorities, according to Gamboa.

The PNP has also maintained that Santillan was killed during a legitimate anti-crime operation in Cainta in December 2018, and that Santillan was a member of the Highway Boys Group, allegedly involved in illegal drugs and car theft in Rizal.

During a Senate hearing on Santillan’s killing in February 2019, Superintendent Joseph Arguelles of Police Regional Office 4-A also denied Chong’s allegations that Santillan was kidnapped, tortured, and killed.

“He [Chong] alleged that there was no shootout that transpired. For us, indeed it was a shootout. Evidence shows two bullet holes were sustained in the front bumper of the SWAT mobile of Cainta police station,” Arguelles said then.

'Confident'

In a statement, Gamboa said that he respects Santillan's widow and Chong's right to file a complaint against him. 

"I take this as part of the risks that come with the job," he said.

"As a lawyer, I fully recognize the supremacy of the courts and will abide by and submit to the judicial process," he added.

"I will face my accusers confident that the truth will vindicate me." — BM, GMA News