By Minka Klaudia Tiangco
One of the policemen who lead the investigation of the case of Carl Angelo Arnaiz admitted that he did not follow the standard procedure when going about with his investigation.
Prosecutor Xerxes Garcia grilled Master Sergeant Noel Bollosa during the cross-examination for the bail hearing of Patrolmen Jeffrey Perez and Ricky Arquilita at the Navotas City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 287 on Monday.
Arnaiz, a 19-year-old student, went missing after leaving his house in Cainta, Rizal to buy snacks on August 17, 2017.
He was found dead with five gunshot wounds and several other injuries at a morgue in Caloocan City 10 days later.
The accused claim that Arnaiz is a holdupper and a drug user who fired at them, leaving them no choice but to retaliate. But an eyewitness narrated that he saw the two policemen shot Arnaiz while he was kneeling.
Bollosa, who was formerly assigned at the Caloocan City Police Station Investigation Unit, admitted that he was not able to do a proper assessment and that he did not inform the Caloocan City police chief before calling the Northern Police District-Scene of the Crime Operatives (NPD-SOCO) to process the crime scene.
The investigator was also not able to submit the documents of the investigation to the Caloocan City chief of police.
These are violations of the rules stated in the Philippine National Police Operations Manual.
Bollosa said he directly contacted the NPD-SOCO team because the city chief of police is usually not in the office at night.
But Garcia told reporters that Bollosa's admission proves that the police officers staged the crime scene where Arnaiz was found.
The prosecutor theorized that Arnaiz was killed in Navotas, but the accused transferred his body in Caloocan and planted a firearm and illegal drugs in the area.
"Malaking bagay 'yon. Protocol 'yon. It bolsters the fact na may ginawang 'hocus pocus' (That's a big thing. That's protocol. It bolsters the fact that they did some 'hocus pocus')," Garcia told reporters.
Garcia also slammed Bollosa for failing to remember the details of the case, including the names of the first responders in the crime scene, the names of the NPD-SOCO team who processed the crime scene, the name of the taxi driver who was allegedly held up by Arnaiz, the details inside the documents submitted to him for the investigation, when the documents were submitted to him, and when the Senate hearing was, among others.
"You are an investigator of this case and yet there are so many things that you don't remember," Garcia told Bollosa during the cross-examination.
The next hearing will be held on June 3. Prosecutor Darwin Cañete, a vocal supporter of the President who was accused of bias for questioning the innocence of slain teenager Kian Delos Santos, is set to take the witness stand.