Missing beauty queen Catherine Camilon. (File photo from Catherine Camilon’s Facebook account)
MANILA, Philippines — Dismissed Police Major Allan De Castro, the primary suspect in the case of missing beauty queen Catherine Camilon, has been released from the detention center of the Senate, according to Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa.
Last March 19, dela Rosa ordered the Senate sergeant-at-arms to “take physical custody” of De Castro after the Committee on Public Order cited him for contempt for repeatedly denying his relationship with Camilon.
READ: Senate detains axed cop linked to missing beauty pageant candidate
But since the Senate will be on break, dela Rosa said he allowed De Castro to go home and return, if the panel will resume its hearing on the case.
“Pinakawalan ko dahil bakasyon ang Senado ng more than one month. Walang magaganap na hearing. So, Hindi ko kinakailangan presensya niya. Pagbalik ng senado, kung magkakaroon pa kami ng hearing ipapatawag, uli natin siya,” the senator told reporters on Thursday.
(I released him because the Senate will be on break for over a month, and we will not conduct any hearings. So, his presence is not needed. When we return, if we will still call another hearing, we will call him again.)
“Tao lang ako. Nakikipagkapwa tao lang. Mahirap naman na abusuhin natin ang power ng Senado. Kahit walang hearing nagaganap, kinukulong natin yung tao sa baba,” he explained.
(I am just human. We should not abuse the power of the Senate. Even where there are no meetings being held, we are detaining the person down there.)
Dela Rosa revealed that he spoke with De Castro, who insisted he is not in a relationship with Camilon.
However, he did not provide the specifics of their conversation.
“Umiyak sa akin, dun sa baba sa kulungan noong pinuntahan ko sya. Hindi daw niya talaga girlfriend at wala talaga silang relasyon. Hindi ako na-convince pero basta umiyak siya ng todo dun sa baba,” the senator said.
(He cried in front of me when I visited him in detention. He said that Camilon was not his girlfriend and he denied their relationship. I am not convinced, but he was crying so hard down there.)
In November last year, police said De Castro admitted having an affair with Camilon, but remained silent when it came to matters related to the beauty queen’s disappearance.
Camilon’s mother, Rosario, and her sister, Chin-chin, also provided testimonies revealing the relationship between the two.
Police obtained screenshots of online conversations between the beauty queen and De Castro, which showed evidence of physical abuse after the former told the latter’s wife of their affair.
READ: Why cop in Camilon disappearance was released from custody
So far, police have filed a case of kidnapping and serious illegal detention charges against De Castro, his driver Jeffrey Magpantay and two other “John Does.”
De Castro was the supposed friend Camilon was about to meet when she disappeared on October 12 last year, while Magpantay was one of the three men that witnesses allegedly saw transferring the beauty queen’s body from her car to another vehicle.
No warrant of arrest has been issued by court against the dismissed law enforcer.