SITG Christine Lee deactivated; NBI-7 is now lead agency in handling Silawan case

Senior Inspector Mariejin Encio, spokesperson of the Christine Special Investigation Task Group. | CDN Digital file

LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu — Following the National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas’ (NBI-7) arrest of the 17-year-old suspect in the gruesome killing of Christine Lee Silawan, Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) Christine Lee is now deactivated.

Senior Inspector Mariejin Encio, spokesperson of the SITG Christine Lee, said that NBI-7 is now the lead agency which will continue with the investigation of the Silawan murder case.

Read more: NBI: Facebook chats, CCTV footages prove 17-year-old to be prime suspect in Silawan’s slay

“SITG is now deactivated kay since naa nay naarest ang NBI nga person ug naa na poy case nga na-file. Since ang NBI ang naka-arrest, sila na ang lead agency nga mopatuloy sa investigation,” Encio told CDN Digital in an interview on Tuesday, March 19, 2019. 

(SITG is now deactivated since the NBI has arrested a person and filed a case against him. Since the NBI made the arrest, they are now the lead agency who will continue with the investigation.)

The NBI-7 yesterday filed a case against the suspect, who is reportedly a former boyfriend of Silawan, after he he was arrested inside his home in Barangay Maribago last Saturday,  March 16, 2019.

Read more: Christine to be laid to rest on Sunday, March 24

Encio said the 17-year-old boy was also in their own investigation diagram in the SITG as one of the persons of interest in the case, considering that he had a relationship with Silawan.

Encio added that the victim communicated with a number of Facebook accounts whom they consider as persons of interest in the case. 

She said that the facts that they have in the SITG Christine Lee has already been shared with the NBI-7 operatives.

“Ever since the killing, we have been coordinating with the NBI and other agencies who may help us. So kung unsa ang nakuha nga info and kung kinsa ang mga POI (persons of interest) nahatag na pod namo nila,” Encio said.

(So whatever information we got, including the POI, we already gave it to them.)

Read more: Sinas: Suspect in Silawan slay nabbed by NBI, a person of interest in police probe

Lawyer Dominador Cimafranca, assistant regional director of the NBI-7, earlier said that they continue to further look into the case since they still consider the possibility that there are other persons that helped the suspect carry out the crime.

“As of now sila na gyud ang lead agency nga mo-handle sa case but if i-tap mi nila to help them willing gihapon mi kay area of responsibility man gihapon ni namo,” Encio said. 

(As of now, they are the lead agency who will handle the case. But if they will tap us to help, we are willing to do so because that is it is still our area of responsibility.) /bmjo