(Eagle News) — The Department of Justice on Wednesday ordered the release of John Paul Solano, after scheduling for preliminary investigation the charges filed against him in connection with the death of Horacio Castillo III.
The DOJ slated the preliminary investigation on Oct. 4 and Oct 9.
Solano is facing charges of murder, perjury, obstruction of justice, robbery and violation of the Anti-Hazing Law.
The DOJ’s move came two days after the acting prosecutor general himself admitted in a Senate hearing on Castillo’s death that Solano’s inquest was “improper.”
In that hearing by the Senate committee of public order and dangerous drugs, Senator Franklin Drilon also questioned the conduct of an inquest despite the fact that Solano had surrendered to authorities.
Drilon had said that based on the rules of criminal procedure, the inquest should have applied if Solano had been apprehended by virtue of warrantless arrest.
Paterno Esmaquel, Solano’s lawyer, echoed Drilon’s statement in a motion to dismiss the charges filed against his client submitted to the DOJ.
No arrest
In ordering Solano’s release, the DOJ, in its seven-page resolution, acknowledged Drilon’s and Esmaquel’s views, noting that an “inquest investigation” was “an informal and summary investigation conducted by a public prosecutor in criminal cases involving persons arrested and detained without the benefit of a warrant of arrest by the court for the purpose of determining whether or not said persons should remain under custody and correspondingly be charged in court.”
The DOJ noted that in the case of Solano, according to Senior Police Officer 1 Jorla Taluba of the Manila Police District, he “voluntarily surrendered himself to the police authorities.”
“[H]ence, there was no arrest to speak of,” the DOJ said.
The DOJ added that when the authorities were looking for Solano, “he was not even considered as a suspect but only as a person of interest.”
“Let law take its course”
The release order for Solano also came on the same day Castillo was laid to rest.
“Let the law take its course,” Dr. Jerry Castillo, Castillo’s uncle, said when asked on the sidelines of the burial ceremonies for his reaction to the DOJ order.
In a radio interview, Supt. Erwin Margarejo, MPD spokesperson, said Solano would be released “anytime.”
But in a separate radio interview, Chief Insp. Rommel Anicete, MPD homicide section chief, said Solano could not be released despite the order because the resolution did not cover the charges of obstruction of justice filed against him.
Case updates
Asked about updates Margarejo said, only recently, another member of the Aegis Juris fraternity–which is believed to have performed the hazing rites that led to Castillo’s death—also surfaced at the MPD to provide them information.
Jason Robiños, who first reported to the Office of Senator Panfilo Lacson on Monday in time for the hearing on Castillo’s death, said he was the treasurer of the fraternity, according to Margarejo.
“Kaya kasama siya sa complaint,” the police official added.