Teen snatching suspect turns up dead in Rizal

A teenage boy arrested for snatching by the Mandaluyong City police last July 22 turned up dead in Taytay, Rizal, apparently a victim of "salvaging (summary execution)."

The body of Jonathan Dia—santa, 19, of Barangay Highway Hills, Mandaluyong City, was discovered last Saturday in a dimly lit portion of Sitio Bang—yad, Floodway Extension in Barangay San Juan.

Clad in maong pants and black t-shirt, Diasanta had a bullet wound in the right side of the head.

Superintendent Ericson Velasquez, Mandaluyong City police chief, said he is preparing kidnapping with homicide charges against Inspector Amor Cerillo, and PO1s Francis Castillo and Jocelyn Samson.

Cerillo is assigned at the Eastern Police District (EPD), Castillo at the office of Velasquez’s deputy for administration, Superintendent Antonio Aguilar, and Samson at the police women’s desk.

Velasquez said the three law enforcers arrested Diasanta at the EDSA Crossing last July 22 for a snatching case. The arrest was entered in the police blotter.

Diasanta’s mother, Teresa, 51, a street sweeper, said Castillo sent an emissary advising her of her son’s arrest and demanding P1,500 for his immediate release.

Teresa told the emissary that she had no money. She was confident that Jonathan would eventually be released because he was only charged with vagrancy, a minor offense.

However, the complainant failed to pursue the case against Diasanta, and he was released from police custody the following day, said Velasquez, quoting the police blotter.

But Velasquez said Anabel Asebuche, 25, an errand girl of the police station’s criminal investigation unit, testified that Castillo did not release Diasanta.

On the contrary, Asebuche claimed she saw Castillo board a patrol car with Jonathan last July 23.

Velasquez put into writing the testimony of Asebuche to strengthen the case to be filed against Castillo as well as Cerillo and Samson.

When Mrs. Diasanta arrived at the police station to fetch her son, Castillo could not present him.

She said Jonathan, whom she described as a good boy, arrived in Manila from Eastern Samar on the first week of June.

She believes that Castillo’s group merely mistook her son as a snatcher because he ran away from them.

Mrs. Diasanta said the jewelry recovered from her son’s possession at the time of his arrest was a gift from his grandmother. She said Castillo confiscated the jewelry.

Before Diasanta’s body was found, a resident claimed that he heard gunfire near his home at about 2 a.m. last Saturday.

Velasquez ordered his men to gather witnesses in Taytay town who could identify those who dumped Diasanta’s body in the area.

Velasquez said Castillo and Samson have failed to report for work since Tuesday.

He quoted Chief Superintendent Oscar Valenzuela, EPD director, as saying that Cerillo is on schooling.