Commissioner Greco Belgica of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission attended the burial of the slain 16-year-old Christine Silawan, at the Cattleya Cemetery in Cordova, Cebu on March 23, 2019. | Delta Dyrecka Letigio.
CORDOVA, Cebu, Philippines — Commissioner Greco Belgica of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission said that the release of the 17-year-old suspect in the murder of Christine Lee Silawan will be brought to the attention of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Belgica, who was in Cebu to attend the burial of Christine Lee at the Cattleya Cemetery in Cordova, Cebu, said President Duterte sent him to look into the welfare of the Silawan family and see the development of the case.
Belgica said that the PACC has yet to receive the report on the release of the 17-year-old suspect but he said that if the National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI-7) did make a mistake in the arrest of the suspect, President Duterte will have to know about it.
“The President is a fiscal lawyer. Alam niya kapag mali at tama. Segurado ako hindi makakalusot sa kanya ang maling report,” said Belgica.
Meanwhile, Belgico, in a conversation with Christine’s mother, Lourdes Pardillo, said that President Duterte will be offering help to the Silawan family, especially in pursuing the case against those involved in her gruesome death.
“Sabi nga ng Presidente sa suspect, ‘Pwede kang magpakamatay pero di ka makapagtago.’ So sa atin pong mga kababayan, tulungan niyo po kami. Tulungan po natin si Christine,” said Belgica.
Belgica said they will closely monitor the case to make sure that justice will be delivered to Christine’s grieving family.
He also urged the public to take precautionary measures to protect their children from harmful individuals, especially strangers.
Christine was found dead in an empty lot at Barangay Bangkal, Lapu-lapu City, Cebu on the morning of March 11. She had multiple stab wounds, her face was skinned and her tongue was missing.
READ MORE: 20 stab wounds, 9 defense wounds found on slain 16-year-old Christine Lee Silawan
After a series of investigations, including the review of related closed-circuit-television in the areas where Christine was last seen, NBI-7 arrested the primary suspect in the case, Christine’s ex-boyfriend, on the evening of March 16.
READ MORE: NBI-7 to file case against 17-year-old suspect in Christine Lee Silawan murder
Murder charges were filed against the suspect on March 18 at the Lapu-lapu City Prosecutor Office. Being minor, he was placed in the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
But on Saturday, March 23, he was ordered released by the Lapu-Lapu City Prosecutor’s Office on the ground that the 17-year-old was arrested without a proper warrant.
READ MORE: Suspect in the Christine Silawan murder released
The release of the suspect at noon on Saturday happened just as the funeral Mass for Christine Lee was happening at the parish church in her home village in Lapu-Lapu City. /elb
READ MORE: Murdered 16-year-old Christine Lee Silawan is laid to rest