Lawyer’s aide was not tortured – PNP Crime Lab

The Philippine National Police (PNP) maintained that the slain security aide of lawyer Glenn Chong was not tortured and the wounds found on his body were obtained when he fought the lawmen, but Chong's camp believes otherwise as they slammed Friday the supposed drug matrix released by authorities.

Supt. Paul Carpio, chief of the Rizal Provincial Police Office (PPO) Crime Laboratory, said Richard Santillan, Chong's security aide, sustained 21 gunshot wounds, but added he found "no signs of torture marks" on his body.

In an earlier press conference, the Calabarzon Police Regional Office (PRO-4A), led by Chief Superintendent Edward Carranza, showed photos of Santillan's body to prove that the victim had no torture marks.

Santillan was shot dead by police last December 10 in Cainta, Rizal in what police said was an encounter with members of Highway Boys, an organized crime syndicate.

Chong slammed the drug matrix supposedly released by Carranza during the same press conference. A link diagram shared by Chong implicated Santillan in the alleged drug operation of the “Highway Boys”.

Santillan was described as the driver of an alias "Barry," whom police said was the financier and supplier of unlicensed guns and illegal drugs of the Highway Boys. The diagram said Santillan was driving a Toyota Fortuner (NOF 845) to deliver drugs and guns to their customers.

The vehicle was the same car used by Santillan when he was shot dead by police last December 10, but Chong said it was registered to his name. Aside from Santillan and Barry, at least 24 other persons were included in the drug matrix.

Chong criticized the drug matrix released by the police saying it contradicts the earlier statement of Carranza when he said he does not know Santillan.

"For the record, we don't know Santillan. We don't even know Chong and his Smartmatic issue," Carranza said.

But Chong said the drug matrix proves that the police have been keeping an eye on Santillan for some time already as they have identified the members of Highway Boys. He said the police obtained Santillan's picture in his Facebook account, including details of his trips and the political events he attended as his aide.

"If they fished out a picture of Richard Santillan in his Facebook page for their supposed drug matrix, it means the operatives of Carranza knew what stuff were posted and shared by Richard Santillan," he claimed.