PNP Director General Debold Sinas’ bold warning to order his men to hunt down and use police subpoena powers on nine men linked to the rape with homicide charge filed by the PNP for the death of Christine Dacera has become an empty threat.
The eight of 11 suspects who have not yet presented themselves to police investigation need not worry in the meantime about being arrested even if the 72 hours ultimatum aired by Sinas expires.
They are in no way obligated to heed Sinas’s demand for them to show up for questioning by the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) because the Office of the Prosecutor of Makati City has already taken jurisdiction of the case.
“No they’re not (obligated to undergo police questioning) because we have already started preliminary investigation of the case,” said Makati City Chief Prosecutor Dindo Venturanza on Friday.
Venturanza’s statement clearly indicate that no warrant of arrest has been issued yet against all 11 respondents in the rape with homicide case filed by the Makati City police the other day.
Venturanza said preliminary investigation is being handled by Asst. City Prosecutor Joan Bolina-Santillan who also conducted the inquest proceedings on the case the other day.
On Wednesday, Sinas warned that the PNP-CIDG will cite the eight men who attended a New Year’s party in a Makati City Hotel where Dacera died.
The PNP chief aired this threat notwithstanding the filing by the Makati City police station of charges of rape with homicide against 11 respondents linked by probers to the alleged rape and killing of Dacera.
Sinas issued a 72-hour ultimatum for the suspects to surrender or they will be hunted down by his men “using force if necessary.”
The country’s top police official insisted that Dacera, 23, was raped and killed.
However, Venturanza already approved Santillan’s recommendation to conduct preliminary investigation on the cases filed by police investigators because the evidence presented is not enough to warrant the elevation of the case to the Regional Trial Court.
“It bears stressing that the police officers have yet to submit the results of the DNA analysis, toxicology/chemical analysis and histopath examination. Hence, a conduct of preliminary investigation is necessary,” Venturanza said in a resolution issued Wednesday.
The Makati chief prosecutor also ordered the release from police custody of John Pascual de la Serna III, Rommel Galido, and John Paul Halili who were arrested Monday in connection with the incident.