The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) is still waiting for the resolution from the city’s prosecutor’s office before it could take further actions against the suspects behind the killing of National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) head Dr. Roland Cortez and his driver.
Lt. Johanna Sazon, head of QCPD’s public information office, on Wednesday said they “will wait” for the court to issue a warrant of arrest so they could finally arrest the suspects. But before it, the prosecutor’s office has to conduct and finish first its preliminary investigation.
The QCPD has filed two counts of murder against seven individuals allegedly involved in the ambush of Cortez and his driver Ernesto dela Cruz, who were shot dead by two-motorcycle gunmen along Commonwealth Ave. on July 27.
In a press conference on Tuesday, the QCPD accused NCMH chief administrative support service, Clarita Avila, as the top suspect behind the killing of Cortez.
Police added that Harly Pagarigan and George Serrano, both NCMH employees, were allegedly the gunmen.
Four others, identified by QCPD as Sonny Sandicho, Edison Riego, Ma. Christina, Riego Dela Cruz, and Albert Eugenio, have also been accused by police to have involvement in the crime for either owning or hiding the getaway vehicle used by the suspects.
QCPD investigation unit head, Maj. Elmer Monsalve, said they were eyeing Cortez' fight against corruption inside NCMH as the suspects' motive behind his killing.
In July 2019, Cortez reportedly filed graft and malversation charges against Avila and several others, citing findings made by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on irregularities inside the institution.
Meanwhile, in April 2020, Avila was asked to be transferred to and assigned at a drug rehabilitation facility after exposing the plight of healthcare workers and psychiatric patients at NCMH amid the COVID-19 crisis.
However, Avila questioned the legality of her transfer, which was signed by Cortez. She said that her "reassignment to the Drug Rehab Center in Las Pinas is a form of harassment, persecution, and abuse of authority."
Avila had been speaking to the media, disclosing the condition of frontline workers and psychiatric patients at NCMH during Luzon lockdown, until Cortez reportedly issued a gag order against her.
Read more: NCMH chief, driver shot dead in QC