Glenn Chong: PAO findings show aide tortured before 'shootout'

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MANILA - A former lawmaker's ex-aide killed in an alleged shootout on Dec. 10 was tortured before his death, a forensic examination by the Public Attorney's Office (PAO) has found.

PAO forensics team chief Dr. Erwin Erfe said the body of Richard Santillan, who was a bodyguard of former Biliran Rep. Glenn Chong, sustained 63 wound in different parts of the body.

Police had claimed Santillan was killed along with a female companion in a shootout in Cainta, Rizal on December 10 after having been suspected of being part of the “Highway Boys,” a group allegedly involved in robbery, illegal drugs and murder.

They said he was in a car during the supposed shootout.

• 2 umano'y miyembro ng sindikato, patay sa engkuwentro sa Cainta

But PAO’s findings suggest otherwise.

“Mukhang tinorture po si Richard bago siya pinatay,” Erfe told reporters at a press conference in Manila.

(It looks like he was first tortured before he was killed.)

Erfe noted that Santillan’s body sustained 11 gunshot wounds with the bullets having different trajectories.

He also found traces of blood in the brain indicating trauma because of blows to the head and lacerations and punctured wounds suggesting Santillan may have been stabbed.

“One is sa tingin po namin noong buhay pa siya ay sinasaksak sya, multiple puncture wounds at binugbog si Richard at may mga tama rin po sa kanyang ulo si Richard,” he said.

(We think he was still alive when he was stabbed, he had multiple puncture wounds, and Richard was mauled and he had a blow to the head.)

Erfe, who conducted the autopsy on Santillan’s body from 4:38 p.m. on Monday until almost 2 a.m. on Tuesday, also said Santillan sustained bullet wounds when he was already dead.

“Consistent po iyon na inilagay siya sa kotse at doon binaril pero at that time mukhang patay na siya because there was no more tissue reaction,” he claimed.

(That is consistent with [the possibility that] he was put in a car and then shot there, but at the time, it looks like he was already dead because there was no more tissue reaction.)

Chong and Santillan’s wife Jeanette, who had sought PAO's help, had claimed Santillan was first abducted, interrogated and tortured before he was executed because he went missing 3 hours before the alleged shootout with the police.

Chong first bared results of the PAO autopsy earlier Tuesday.

"These are signs of torture. This cannot be considered an encounter dahil wala pong nangyayaring ganyan sa encounter (nothing like that happens in an encounter)," said Chong.

"Pinaglaruan, pinahirapan talaga siya (He was really toyed with, tortured)," he added.

PAO Chief Persida Acosta said Santillan's death could not be considered a result of a legitimate police operation.

“Hindi po matatawag na legitimate operation po ito dahil po ay labag sa operational guidelines ng PNP,” she said.

(This cannot be called a legitimate operation because it violated operational guidelines of the PNP [Philippine National Police].)

PAO, meanwhile, failed to examine the remains of Santillan's companion as it was brought already to her hometown in General Santos City, said Acosta.

KILLING LINKED TO 2016 POLLS?

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Chong said Santillan's death may have something to do with his poll fraud case and that perpetrators may be out to find out who might be behind him.

Chong, who alleged that the supposed poll cheating in 2016 favored Vice President Leni Robredo, said he has no backer.

However, letters presented by Sen. Franklin Drilon in a Senate hearing last November supposedly show that Chong was among the authorized representatives of former Sen. Bongbong Marcos, who is contesting his defeat to Robredo in the vice presidential race.

Both the Marcos camp and Chong denied that he was part of the former senator's legal team.

Chong urged national police chief Director General Oscar Albayalde to place under restrictive custody all officers involved in the operation against Santillan pending full investigation into the killing.

The police chief of Rizal province and all police officers in the operation have been relieved from their posts "to pave the way for an impartial investigation," Albayalde told radio DZMM.

The only sign of the officers' possible use of excessive force found so far by investigators are the numerous bullet holes on Santillan's car, he said.

"Kung talagang mapatunayan na ang ating mga pulis ay nagmalabis po d'yan ay paparusahan po," Albayalde vowed.

(If it's proven that our policemen are guilty of abuse, they will be punished.)

- with a report from Mike Navallo, ABS-CBN News