2 respondents in Castillo hazing case defer submission of counter-affidavits

Horacio Jr. (right) and Carmina Castillo, parents of hazing victim Horacio Castillo III, and Dr. Gerardo Castillo (left), uncle of the freshman law student, in Malacañang Palace on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2017, for a meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte. (Photo by NESTOR CORRALES / INQUIRER.net)

Two of the respondents in the fatal hazing of Horacio Tomas Castillo III, freshman law student at the University of Santo Tomas, opted on Wednesday to defer submission of their counter-affidavits.

John Paul Solano and Jason Adolfo Robiños were supposed to submit their separate counter affidavits, with Solano also presenting his witnesses, on Wednesday, at the Department of Justice.

But they decided to defer doing so on learning that the camp of Castillo and the Manila Police District (MPD) would still be submitting supplemental complaints and additional evidence.

The MPD said it would want to submit the results of the Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) on the fluids and other evidence extracted from the Aegis Juris Fraternity Library.

It was also still securing cellular phone records from a telecommunications company and considering including Antonio Trangia, father of another respondent, Ralph Trangia, in the complaint.

Meanwhile, lawyer Lorna Kapunan, counsel of the Castillo couple Horacio Jr. and Carmina, said that they were securing a copy of the transcript of the Senate hearing on the case. This, she said, would help determine whether Nilo Divina, dean of the UST Faculty of Civil Law, could also be held liable for Castillo’s death.

In response, Divina issued a statement saying: “It’s unfortunate that Acio’s [This is his spelling of Atio, the hazing victim’s nickname-Ed.] family is being manipulated by their lawyer into doing something that is patently baseless. Our objective should be to find justice for Acio and find out the truth. Instead the obvious objective is now to lay the blame on innocent people to further the lawyer’s personal agenda.”

Meanwhile, Paterno Esmaquel, Solano’s lawyer, also submitted a three-page motion to strike out the judicial affidavit given by his client after noticing that it was not subscribed before DOJ Assistant State Prosecutor Susan Villanueva, who heads the three-man panel of prosecutors investigating the case, nor any other officer authorized to administer the oath.

Senior Insp. Rommel Anicete, MPD Homicide Division chief, reportedly signed the judicial affidavit to make it appear that it was subscribed before him last Sept. 17.

But Esmaquel said Solano “never appeared before Anicete to subscribe under oath his alleged judicial affidavit.”

/atm