THE PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) maintained Friday that the slain security aide of lawyer Glenn Chong was not tortured and the wounds found on his body were obtained when he clashed with lawmen.
Superintendent Paul Carpio, chief of Rizal Provincial Police Office (PPO) Crime Laboratory, bared Richard Santillan, Chong’s security aide, sustained 21 gunshot wounds but added he found “no signs of torture marks” on his body.
Carpio added that the cuts and wounds on Santillan’s body could have been obtained from the alleged encounter between the aide and the Cainta cops.
In an earlier press conference, the Calabarzon Police Regional Office (PRO-4A) led by Chief Superintendent Edward Carranza showed photos of Santillan’s body to prove that the victim had no torture marks.
Santillan was shot dead by police last December 10 in Cainta, Rizal in what police said was an encounter with members of “Highway Boys”, an organized crime syndicate.
For his part, Chong slammed the drug matrix supposedly released by Carranza during the same press conference.
A link diagram shared by Chong implicated Santillan in the alleged drug operation of the Highway Boys.
Chong was described as the driver of an alias “Barry,” whom police said was the financier and supplier of unlicensed guns and illegal drugs of the Highway Boys.
The diagram said Santillan was driving a Toyota Fortuner (NOF 845) to deliver drugs and guns to their customers.
The vehicle was the same car used by Santillan when he was shot dead by police last December 10, but Chong said it was registered to his name.
Aside from Santillan and Barry, at least 24 other persons were included in the drug matrix.
Chong criticized the drug matrix released by the police, saying it contradicts the earlier statement of Carranza when he said he does not know Santillan. (Martin Sadongdong)