Lawmen in Carl, Kulot killings seek more hearings

MANILA, Philippines — The quest for justice in the killings of former University of the Philippines student Carl Angelo Arnaiz and his companion Reynaldo “Kulot” de Guzman might be delayed.

Two former Caloocan policemen tagged in killings asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday to extend its preliminary investigation of the criminal charges against them.

Police Officers 1 Jeffrey Perez and Ricky Arquilita moved for additional hearings to allow them to present their own witnesses and additional evidence to debunk the charges filed by parents of the victims, whose autopsy results indicated they had been tortured and killed.

The two policemen said they killed Arnaiz in a shootout after the teen reportedly robbed a taxi driver.

The DOJ panel berated the respondents for not raising the issue during their submission of counter-affidavits in a hearing last week. Their lawyers explained that the policemen have been under restrictive custody so they were not able to immediately secure the witnesses.

The investigating panel did not immediately rule on the plea and told the policemen to formally submit their plea in writing.

The DOJ was supposed to already conclude the probe and submit the case for resolution after the hearing last Thursday. 

But because of this development, the hearings could be extended and will only conclude upon submission of the response of complainants to the statements to be submitted by the new witnesses.