Medel claims torture

The confessed killer of movie actress Nida Blanca lashed out like a man possessed yesterday, slamming tables, rolling on the floor, fainting and crying that he was tortured to own up to the crime and forced to tag her American husband as the mastermind.

Surrounded by security and television cameras, Philip Medel Jr., a former security guard at a mine site in Angola, tore up his original handwritten confession. "I did not surrender. I was blindfolded for three days," he blubbered.

State prosecutors insisted, however, that Blanca’s husband, Rod Lauren Strunk, remained a suspect and was not yet off the hook.

The drama took place at the Department of Justice on Padre Faura street in Ermita where Medel and Strunk were summoned for a preliminary investigation.

"I don’t want to drag in innocent people. I don’t know Mr. Strunk. I never met him," Medel said, referring to Rod Lauren Strunk, Blanca’s Australian-born husband of 22 years.

At the end of his 10-page affidavit, Medel had denounced Strunk and said he surrendered to be a witness against the American and his accomplices.

"I am now turning myself (in) as a voluntary witness to the evil designs of Mr. Strunk and his evil cahoots," the affidavit stated.

But during yesterday’s investigation, the 54-year-old Medel raised both hands above his head to show bruises around his wrists, saying the police tied his hands and forced him to confess.

He repeatedly collapsed to semi-consciousness and rose up to continue yelling. Many of his words were incoherent or inaudible. He dared the authorities to "kill me now. I rest in peace."

State prosecutors said the proceeding was not part of a trial but merely meant to gather evidence.

In his affidavit signed on Sunday, Medel said he was compelled to yield because he was being tortured by his guilty conscience.

"I was so mentally devastated (by) that incident, never have a sound sleep. My conscience was immeasurably bothered," he said.

"I hope mankind will understand the sin I have blindly committed. by this, may this instrument I am executing will really does (sic) what it (is) supposed to do to give justice to the innocent soul of Nida Blanca. May she rest in peace!" he added.

He claimed he was promised P50,000 for his part in forcing Blanca to produce documents about her will.

Strunk, who appeared at the DOJ after Medel’s tantrum, called the retraction a "divine answer from my Lord and Savior."

"This is a complete shock to me that this man broke down and even apologized to me for causing all this pressure and this doubt," Strunk told reporters.

"My family was torn apart by this. Hopefully, this can be the beginning of the healing process," he added.

With the turn of events, Strunk said he was very happy, relieved and satisfied. "I know I’m innocent. One thing is for sure, the criminals are still alive."

He insisted he had nothing to gain with Blanca’s death.

Strunk, a former American actor, first met Blanca — Dorothy Jones in real life — in 1964. They got married in the United States in 1979, although her previous marriage was annulled only two years ago.

Blanca’s body was found in the backseat of her car early in the morning of Nov. 7 at the sixth floor parking lot of Atlanta Centre in Greenhills, San Juan where she worked as a director of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board.

Medel remanded to NBI custody

As an offshoot of Medel’s retraction and torture charges, a two-member DOJ probe team composed of State Prosecutors Emmanuel Velasco and Irwin Maraya ordered the transfer of Medel from the custody of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

"This is just temporary. We’re not casting aspersion on anybody here. We just want to ensure that nothing will happen to Medel," Velasco clarified.

He said with the suspect’s demeanor, he may not qualify as a government witness.

With Medel’s retraction, Strunk’s lawyer Alma Mallonga quickly urged investigators to clear her client. "This is victory. But for me, this is not just victory... this is justice. As far as we are concerned, this is a closed case," Mallonga told reporters, adding that Strunk should now be removed from the list of suspects.

But Velasco maintained that Strunk was cleared only by Medel.

"I don’t know about the PNP or NBI... what evidence they will present against Strunk. There will be no fall guys. We like to get to the bottom of things," Velasco stressed.

PNP legal counsel Senior Superintendent Ericson Velasquez said, "Medel did not recant."

"We have other evidence. It’s not back to square one. The evidence (against Strunk) is not solely based on Medel’s testimony. Allegation is only a part of the evidence," Velasquez explained.

He added that if evidence warranted, they will press charges against the investigators involved in the alleged torture.

Two medico-legal officers who examined Medel on Wednesday disputed the suspect’s claim that he was manhandled into admitting the crime.

The two physicians, Marietta Tanchoco-Tan and Georgia Regalado, noted that Medel showed signs of depression and complained of pains. He also allegedly showed handcuff marks on both wrists.

"I did notice that he had handcuff marks on both wrists. There were no signs that he had hematoma," she said.

To relieve the suspect of his pain, the doctors said they gave him Valium.

NBI Director Reynaldo Wycoco also said Strunk remained a suspect.

"The investigation will continue. There is no re-investigation as the investigation was never finished. Strunk is still a suspect although Medel recanted. There had been instances in the past where the one who confessed later recanted. Nobody is off the hook," Wycoco emphasized, adding that the NBI will continue conducting its own investigation parallel to that of the PNP.

Wycoco also expressed confidence that Medel’s arrest by operatives of the PNP’s criminal investigation and detection group was not irregular.

"There is the presumption of irregularity with the PNP’s arrest of Medel. However, we will still examine Medel to prove his allegation that he was indeed, tortured under custody," Wycoco said.

He hinted at a deeper evaluation of Medel’s affidavit, as well as the purported murder weapon and the blood-stained T-shirt taken from his rented apartment in Kamias, Quezon City.

PNP officials downplay retraction

The PNP’s Task Force Marsha which spearheaded the probe on the Nov. 7 murder maintained that Medel’s confession still holds water as far as they are concerned, adding it is backed up by forensic findings linking him to the crime.

Task force spokesman Superintendent Leonardo Espina said they will pursue their investigation to its rightful conclusion. "We will not stop until this case is solved," Espina said.

Velasquez said task force agents will also look into the possible reasons for Medel’s retraction. "We want to know the consequences behind his action. We want to determine the nature of his confession," he said.

In a talk with reporters afterward, a sober Medel insisted he did not surrender and said, "I was abducted and tortured. They wanted me to implicate Strunk but I don’t want to bring innocent people to my grave."

He alleged that he was handcuffed and subjected to "water therapy," adding that his arms, legs and genitals were electrocuted.

He said he did not expose the alleged torture when he was presented to the press on Monday because the CIDG agents threatened to harm his children.

He said he was planning to file criminal charges against CIDG chief Director Nestorio Gualberto, PNP chief Director General Leandro Mendoza and other ranking PNP officials involved in his abduction and torture.

No sign of Martinez kidnapping

The chief investigator of the Southern Police District (SPD) cast serious doubts on the alleged kidnapping of Mike Martinez, another principal suspect in the Blanca murder, saying there were no witnesses to the alleged abduction.

Superintendent Bayani Reyes, head of the SPD-CIDG, said the investigators faced a blank wall.

Reyes said efforts to trace the owner of the Toyota Lite Ace with license plates WNN-914 proved futile.

Martinez’s wife Ma. Estrellita claimed that seven armed men and a woman snatched her husband while he was walking to his mother’s home in Sun Valley subdivision in Parañaque City on Monday, a few hours after Medel was presented to the media in Camp Crame.

Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Carlos Padilla (LDP, Nueva Vizcaya) urged President Arroyo to overhaul the CIDG in the light of Medel’s retraction which he described as a "big hole in the image of the CIDG and the entire PNP."

Padilla said Medel’s allegation, whether true or not, tends to make the people lose their trust in the police.

Padilla said Medel’s retraction served as an embarrassment for Justice Secretary Hernando Perez and Interior and Local Government Secretary Jose Lina.

For his part, Lina ordered a probe into Medel’s charges which he viewed as "very serious."

On the other hand, Eastern Samar Rep. Marcelino Libanan, chairman of the House committee on justice, filed a resolution seeking congressional inquiry on the PNP’s alleged sloppy handling of the Blanca investigation. — With reports from Christina Mendez, Jaime Laude, Mike Frialde, Perseus Echeminada, Jess Diaz, Marichu Villanueva