Trina cremated; Failon decries foes

MANILA, Philippines - The remains of Trinidad Arteche-Etong, wife of ABS-CBN news anchor Ted Failon, were cremated yesterday at the Arlington Memorial Chapel in Quezon City.

In his eulogy, Failon told relatives and friends of the trials and tribulations his family was going through, and lamented that some quarters were taking advantage of the family’s grief to get back at him, but that they should vent all their anger on him alone.

He said that it was most painful for their youngest daughter and that sometimes, in his darkest hour, he had thought of training a gun on himself.

“Karishma (the couple’s youngest daughter) asks what happens now. If you wish and if you can raise her, I sometimes think the best solution to this problem is for me to just shoot myself. And you can raise Karishma,” Failon said in Filipino, breaking into sobs after the Mass attended by relatives and friends before the victim’s remains were cremated.

At one point, some mourners went outside the chapel and released butterflies into the air.

Failon (Mario Teodoro Failon Etong in real life) appealed to relatives of Trinidad to reconcile all their differences, saying that he realized some of them did not approve of him. But with all that they are going through, he asked that they sort out all their differences.

Trinidad was found with a gunshot wound to her head inside a bathroom of their houses on No. 27 General Aquino Street, Tierra Pura Subdivision in Tandang Sora, Quezon City, last April 15.

Failon claimed that his wife committed suicide due to financial problems, but the police were still investigating if there was foul play. Even Trinidad’s relatives believe Failon’s claim, which was confirmed by the house helpers. Trinidad died the next day at the New Era General Hospital.

Failon’s eldest daughter Kaye said her mother’s death should start the reconciliation of their whole family, and that her mother used herself to “once and for all settle (their) differences.”

“We have to forgive each other, whatever happened, whatever was said or done in the past,” Kaye said.

The QCPD had filed charges of obstruction of justice against Failon, his driver Glen Polan, houseboy Pacifico Apacible, nanny Wilfreda Bollester, housemaid Carlita Morbos, and Trinidad’s sister Pamela Arteche.

QCPD investigators said the house helpers cleaned the bathroom where Trinidad was found while the driver cleaned the Mitsubishi Pajero that was used to transport the victim to the hospital. The house helpers claimed that they cleaned the crime scene on their own and Failon did not order them to do so.

Investigators said Failon might have obstructed justice when he gave limited details to the authorities and refused to surrender his mobile phone.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno later ordered the Quezon City Police District to turn over to the National Bureau of Investigation the investigation of the Failon case to pave the way for an impartial probe.

Failon accused the QCPD of harassing him in retaliation for his negative comments against the QCPD in the past.

Puno also suspended six Quezon City police investigators for 30 days for allegedly applying excessive force in arresting suspects in connection with the Failon case.

The National Police Commission and the Philippine National Police Internal Affairs Office have placed under investigation Superintendent Franklin Moises Mabanag, chief of the QCPD-Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit; Superintendent Gerardo Ratuita, Senior Inspector Roberto Razon, Senior Police Officer 3 Jose Fernando, PO2 Andy Salonga, and PO2 Reno Riparip for alleged violation of police operational procedure and provisions of existing laws.

Failon refuses NBI autopsy

The NBI said Failon and the relatives have requested the NBI not to conduct another autopsy on Trinidad’s remains.

NBI probers will just rely on the autopsy report of the PNP.

Lawyer Ricardo Diaz, NBI spokesman and chief of the NBI Anti-Terrorism Division (ATD), said the bureau might also consider the autopsy report of Dr. Raquel Fortun, the private forensic expert hired by the Failon family.

“Mr. Failon wished that the body would be cremated right away. We will allow this. They do not want to have a re-autopsy at the NBI. Since the family does not want it, we will just analyze or evaluate the autopsy done by the Philippine National Police (PNP). It is really crucial, but we don’t want to antagonize anybody regarding this matter,” said Diaz.

Diaz said NBI agents had asked Failon for another autopsy but the broadcaster refused.

“We are just sorry that we were not given a chance to conduct a re-autopsy. However, since this was already autopsied by the police, then we will rely on the autopsy conducted by the PNP. Anyway they also enjoy the presumption of regularity in the performance of their official duties. We will not have, as of this moment, a conclusion. It is not good for any investigator to make a conclusion before all the facts are in. We can establish it by other evidence,” he stressed.

The NBI now has the t-shirt worn by Failon on the day of the incident, and also copies of the QCPD Scene of the Crime Operations (SOCO) report and autopsy report of the PNP.

Diaz said NBI forensics investigators are currently analyzing and evaluating all of these as ordered by NBI Director Nestor Mantaring.

“We have a lot to do as investigators of the case. We want to visit the crime scene and recreate the crime. The crime scene is sealed by SOCO. We are waiting for the wake and burial services to end first before we ask Mr. Failon to have the crime scene visited by our investigators. Our psychiatrists will conduct a psychological evaluation or assessment of the victim before she died, background investigation, interviews with close kin, household members, and friends to determine stresses, behavioral patterns, changes, thought control, and others,” said Diaz.

“I cannot make any conclusion as of now if the autopsy report of Dr. Fortun is biased or not. We will take all of these into consideration, whether there is a discrepancy between Dr. Fortun’s report and the PNP report. It is speculative at this point (to say whether it is suicide or not). A declaration of anybody who is not officially into this investigation is only a declaration of that person. It does not bind the NBI. The NBI is tasked by law to do this,” said Diaz.

QCPD denies Failon’s allegation

Lawyer Jay Borromeo, counsel of the QCPD, clarified that the police are not getting back at Failon and that they did not have an ax to grind against the broadcaster.

“Our point was not to pin him (Failon) down. We just want a solution to this case, to know what really happened,” he told The STAR in an interview.

Meanwhile, Borromeo described as “mere denials” the counter-affidavit filed by the camp of Failon on the charges of obstruction of justice filed against him and five others.

“They (Failon’s camp) did not answer one by one the evidence that we presented,” Borromeo said.

He is currently preparing their reply to the counter-affidavit to be submitted on Friday in time for the three-day deadline set by the Quezon City prosecutors conducting the preliminary investigation on the charges filed against Failon’s group.

“They’re insisting there was no crime committed and that they did not know that the act of cleaning (the bathroom and the vehicle used to transport Trinidad Etong to the hospital) was prohibited,” Borromeo said, referring to the points raised in the counter-affidavit filed by Failon, Etong’s sister Pamela and house helpers Carlota Morbos, Glen Polan, Wilfreda Bollester and Pacifico Apacible at the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office last Tuesday afternoon.

Borromeo pointed out that the actions of those charged constitute obstruction of justice.

“From the time they were at the hospital, they said they did not want to inform the media and the police about the incident. At that instance there was already an effort to conceal the incident from us,” Borromeo said, referring to a logbook entry at the New Era General Hospital moments after Trinidad was brought there.

“When you see a policeman, the natural reaction is to report an incident to the police. But what did he (Failon) do? He left the hospital upon arrival of our policemen,” Borromeo said.

As to the claim of Failon’s camp that it was a case of suicide and that there was no crime committed, Borromeo replied: “That was a shooting incident. There was a crime. No one said they actually saw her (Trinidad) fire a gun at her head and that’s why we had to investigate.”

“The police were in the process of elimination (referring to the different angles in the case) but they (Failon’s camp) have obstructed the police in their investigation,” the lawyer said.

As to the claim of police brutality, Borromeo said: “Their claim that they were not read the Miranda Doctrine was impossible because they had lawyers every time they were being asked by the police.”

This developed as a police official disclosed that another driver, identified only as Alfredo, could be the key to the whole truth.

Superintendent Franklin Moises Mabanag, the suspended chief QCPD chief investigator, said Alfredo appears to be the one who could crack the case.

Mabanag said ongoing investigation on the case should include efforts to locate Alfredo.

“Investigators should be able to find him as he is now missing. He (Alfredo) remains unaccounted for,” Mabanag said.

A copy of the sworn statement of housemaid Carlota Morbos that was obtained by The STAR from another police source also mentioned Alfredo’s name.

Based on the sworn statement, a police investigator asked Morbos how many they were inside the house when the incident was discovered.

Morbos replied: “Sampu po kami (there were ten of us). Ako, si Ate Trinidad, Kuya Ted (Failon), Glen (Polan, the other driver), Freda (housemaid Wilfreda Bollester), Bunny (house helper Pacifico Apacible), Alfredo, Karishma (Failon’s youngest daughter), Elise (Failon’s niece) at Pamela (Trinidad’s sister).

In fact, some members of the media reportedly even saw Alfredo at the New Era General Hospital on the afternoon of April 15 moments after the victim was brought there.