For high-profile deaths under probe, justice and closure remain elusive

Over the past year and a half, several high-profile deaths have hogged the headlines amid the rising toll in the administration's war on drugs, along with an increase in killings that the Philippine National Police have labeled as "deaths under investigation." Mariz Umali reviews the status of some of these high-profile cases.

Michael Siaron

AFP/Noel Celis

The scene was tagged La Pieta after the famous sculpture of Michelangelo depicting Mother Mary holding on her lap the lifeless body of Jesus Christ.

Jennilyn Olayres cradled in her arms the dead body of her 30-year-old live-in partner, suspected drug pusher Michael Siaron.

He was shot dead by unknown motorcycle riding assailants in Edsa Taft-Pasay Rotonda at around 12:45 a.m. on July 23, 2016.

A cardboard sign that read “Pusher ako, 'wag tularan” (I am a drug pusher, don’t emulate) was left near his lifeless body.

The emotional scene, captured on camera by Inquirer photojournalist Raffy Lerma, went viral on social media and was published by several broadsheets here and abroad.

Pasay police say Siaron was part of the city's drug watchlist, a charge that his family has not denied. They even admitted to Siaron being a drug user in the past. They contend, however, that Siaron was never a pusher of illegal drugs.

More than a year has passed since the incident happened but Siaron's aunt, Elsa Siaron Mojica, still mourns for his death. She looked after him like her own son.

"'Di pa 'ko nakaka-recover. Sariwa pa sa puso ko napakasakit ng pagpatay basta babarilin na lang nila yung tao," she says

Police Supt. Gene Licud, Pasay City Assistant Chief of Police, says Siaron's case is closed as the gunman has already been identified — a certain Nesty Santiago who is an alleged member of a syndicate involved in robbery holdup, carnapping, gun for hire and illegal drug trade.

Police investigators said ballistics examination from a firearm recovered from Santiago matched with the bullet that killed Siaron.

They said Santiago also turned out to be the perpetrator of five other shooting incidents, with all the victims allegedly drug personalities.

"Gamit ni Nesty baril na involved in six cases. Turns out baril, nag-match sa iba pang slug nakuha sa five other shooting incidents, all involved in drug activities," Licud says.

Santiago, for his part, is also dead — shot by gunmen riding in tandem on December 29, 2016 according to Licud.

The National Union of Peoples' Lawyers doubts the account of the police.

"'Di maiwasan ng taumbayan na mag-isip na may cover-up. It's a very convenient excuse. You have to remember, a dead man tells no tales," says Maria Cristina Yambot, spokesperson of the NUPL.

But PNP Chief Director General Ronald Dela Rosa would hear none of it.

"There is a crime to be solved. We solved it. We provided a solution. Eh ngayon hindi pa rin sila satisfied humahanap pa rin sila ng excuse for cover up like that. Bahala kayo sa buhay ninyo," he says.

'Utoy' Brondial

The death of Jayross "Utoy" Brondial on September 24 shocked the nation as well.

The 13-year-old was shot to death by a motorcycle-riding suspect right outside his home in Pasay.

Over a month after the tragic incident, Pasay police still has no suspect.

"We can't deny na wala pang suspect. Exact motive, wala pa. Sad to know walang masampahan," says Licud.

Though there have been claims that Utoy had been a drug courier, police still would not conclude that his death was caused by his alleged drug involvement.

Utoy's family insists he was mistaken for somebody else. They say a certain alyas Gayi, an alleged drug personality, was the real target of the assailant. Alyas Gayi also happened to be on the same street and was wearing the same blue shorts with no shirt on when Utoy was killed.

Until now, Pasay Police still could not find Alyas Gayi.

"Sana mahuli bumaril, 'di naawa sa anak ko. Walang kasalanan, inubos yung bala," says Rosana, the mother of Utoy.

Raymart Siapo

Twenty-year-old Raymart Siapo was begging for his life, when around nine masked men allegedly abducted him in Navotas on March 30.

He was crying when the assailants shot him twice in the head, witnesses say.

Police say two sachets of suspected shabu were found in his possession.

After seven months of investigation, Navotas police admits they are still clueless as to who the perpetrators are in Siapo's case.

"That case is still under investigation. Wala pang proper identification kung sino ang mga taong sangkot. Sana may direct line na makakakilala sa mismong suspects," says Navotas Police Assistant Chief of Police for Administration Police Superintendent Raymund Mayuga.

Barangay officials say the family of Siapo left their home in Navotas after the incident for fear for their lives.

A day before he was killed, Siapo had an altercation with someone who accused him of selling marijuana, said his mother Luzviminda.

Navotas police assures Siapo's family as well as the public of their continuous search for justice.

"The whole Navotas ay tulong-tulong na hahanap ng paraan mabigay ang justice sa pangyayari," says Mayuga.

JP and Renato Bertes

JP Bertes and his father Renato were both under the custody of the Pasay City Police when they were killed on July 6, 2016.

JP's live-in partner could not accept the fact that policemen carried out what she says was the murder of her loved ones.

She said the two were arrested illegally, nabbed at their home for allegedly playing cara y cruz without a warrant of arrest.

She claimed the policemen beat up her partner during the arrest and put his father Renato in handcuffs after he came to the defense of his son.

The two Pasay police officers who figured in the incident, PO2 Alipio Balo and PO1 Michael Tomas, have been relieved from their posts.

Charged with murder, planting of evidence and violation of domicile, both policemen went missing the day their arrest warrants were issued.

"Nababagalan ako. Yung warrant na maaresto sila sobrang saya na sobrang lungkot ko. Kung kelan may warrant bigla silang nawala. Pinagtatakban ba sila? Kung kelan nagkawarrant tsaka nawala. Nagtatago na pala, ano yun?" her live-in partner says.

Dela Rosa, however, assured the Bertes family as well as the public that they will not condone the policemen's illegal acts.

"Hindi natin itatago yan. Hahanapin namin sila. Tumatakbo ang administrative case. May kaso pero we have to wait for the wheel of justice to take its course," he says.

Kian delos Santos

Kian Loyd Delos Santos was killed after allegedly resisting arrest by policemen conducting an anti-drug operation on August 16 in Caloocan.

But the scene of the crime operations (SOCO) report tell a different story.

Kian was in a kneeling position with his face on the ground when he was shot.

Ballistics test results showed the bullets that killed Kian came from PO3 Arnel Oares' gun.

Three months after the incident, the DOJ investigating panel expects to release a resolution by the second week of November.

Eleven of 12 policemen involved in the drug operation argued in their counter-affidavits that they were not involved in the killing of Kian.

PO1 Ronald Herrera, however, lost his right to answer the charges against him after failing to attend the hearing.

The parents of Kian are already under the DOJ's Witness Protection Program.

"Hindi madali ang buhay sa ilalim ng Witness Protection Program. Nakakulong kami at 'di makalabas. Pero kung ito ang kailangan para makuha namin ang hustisya, kahit gaano katagal pa ang aabutin. Sanay naman kami sa hirap, kaya naming tiisin para sa anak namin. Hindi naman kami nababagalan sa proseso. Tiwala naman kami sa PAO at may kumpyansa kaming makakamit ang hustisya para kay Kian," say the parents of Kian, Saldy and Lorenza delos Santos.

Carl Angelo Arnaiz and Reynaldo 'Kulot' de Guzman

On August 18, only two days after Kian was killed, 19-year-old Carl Angelo Arnaiz and his 14-year-old friend Reynaldo "Kulot" De Guzman went missing.

Ten days later, on August 28, Carl's body was found in a morgue in Caloocan.

He was allegedly killed by policemen who went after him after a taxi driver whom he allegedly held up reported him to the police.

Police say Carl resisted arrest.

Kulot, on the other hand, was found dead, his body floating in Kinamatayang Kabayo Creek in Gapan, Nueva Ecija on Sept. 6.

After two months, charges of double murder have been filed against PO1 Jeffrey Perez and PO1 Ricky Arquilita for the deaths of Carl and Kulot.

In their counter-affidavits, Perez and Arquilita said the operation they conducted was legitimate and they only shot at Carl in self-defense after the teenager shot at them first.

In the preliminary investigation of Carl and Kulot's case, the submission of resolution was delayed as the police requested the investigating panel to first conduct an ocular inspection of the crime scene.

They also requested to enter new witnesses and evidence into the case.

Carl's mother Eva complains of a slow legal process but is still confident to get justice for the death of her son.

"Nababagalan ako sa itinatakbo ng kaso. Kampante ako na makakamit ang hustisya para sa aking anak," she says.

Kulot's parents also cry for justice.

Dela Rosa assures the parents of the victims that the police force is one with them in seeking justice for the deaths still under investigation, but appeals for their understanding as justice couldn't be rushed.

"Lahat tayo naghahanap ng hustisya. Dapat makamtan magtulungan tayo. 'Di mabilis but we will get proper justice," says dela Rosa. —JST, GMA News