PNP bent on pursuing case against starlet

MANILA, Philippines—The recent dismissal of the carnapping with homicide case of starlet Katrina Paula (Angeline Samonte in real Life) has not changed the stand of the National Police on her role in the Dominguez brothers’ alleged crimes, a police spokesman said Wednesday.

According to Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesman Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr., they are still working to gather additional evidence to beef up their case against the starlet.

Cruz said that they plan to file a motion for reconsideration once they find strong evidence linking the starlet to the crimes.

Paula was cleared Tuesday of her alleged role in the murder of car dealer Venson Evangelista. The case was filed against the starlet by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).

The Highway Patrol Group, meanwhile, stated that the dismissal of the case did not weaken the chances of their case of five counts of anti-fencing violation against Paula. HPG spokesman Senior Superintendent Edwin Butacan said they are still awaiting the resolution of the said case.

Car dealer Evangelista disappeared January 13 after meeting buyers who requested to test-drive a Toyota Land Cruiser. His charred remains were later found in Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija.

Last year HPG officers recovered eight vehicles, five of them found to be “hot cars” in the Mandaluyong City condominium where Paula and her boyfriend Raymond Dominguez resided, Butacan said Tuesday.