MANILA, Philippines — The police officers who have moved the remains of peace talks consultant Randall “Ka Randy” Echanis will face sanctions if there will be negligence found, Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesman Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac said Wednesday.
Banac said the proper identification of Echanis’ body should be settled first before turning over the remains to his relatives or family.
“Kailagan lamang i-settle, once nasettle na ito, kaagad na ire-raise na sa pamilya… Mahirap sa kalagayan ng PNP na kung sakali mag-claim later na Manuel Santiago, na pamilya niya, at ni-release ng PNP yung sa isang pamilya na si Randy Echanis. Mananagot din ang PNP sa kapabayaan, so procedural lang talaga at i-re-raise lang sa family,” Banac said during an online Lido forum about poverty and criminality roundtable discussion, in responding to a query about police protocols in handling bodies claimed by relatives.
(This [question on the identity of the remains] needs to be settled. It would be difficult for the PNP if the family of Santiago would come out and claim the body but was already released to the family of Echanis. PNP will be held liable for negligence. This is just procedural.)
Echanis and his neighbor were stabbed to death inside his apartment in Novaliches, Quezon City on Monday morning. But according to a police report, Echanis was identified as Manuel Santiago based on the identification card and testimony from the landlady of the apartment.
Banac said the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) is still investigating the stabbing incident to identify the suspects and motive in the killing.
However, the chief investigator of QCPD Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit accused members of Anakpawis party-list group of illegally moving the remains of Randall “Ka Randy” Echanis from one funeral parlor to another.
Echanis’ wife, Erlinda however said law enforcers were the ones who forcibly took her husband’s body from St. Peter Funeral Homes along Quezon Avenue, where she had the remains transferred.
Echanis’ remains are now back at the Pink Petals Memorial Home in La Loma, Quezon City where the peasant leader’s body was first brought by the police from the crime scene.