Nida’s daughter cries for swift justice

Katherine "Kaye" Torres, only daughter of slain actress Nida Blanca, called yesterday for swift justice and the immediate arrest of her mother’s killers.

Meanwhile, it appeared that Rod Lauren, the Australian-born husband of Blanca — Dorothy Jones in real life — may have been the last person to have seen her alive.

"This is very devastating and I am very crushed. It has been very difficult for me and it still is up to this moment, to accept the tragic and painful death of my Mommy," Torres said at a press conference at the premises of the White Plains chapel where Blanca’s remains lie.

Setting aside her prepared statement, Torres, who arrived Sunday night from the United States, said "there are no words to describe" the tragedy.

She expressed gratitude for the outpouring of sympathy for her famous mother.

She also said she was giving the Philippine National Police (PNP) a free hand to conduct its investigation on the killing.

At the same time, she appealed to reporters to be fair and responsible. "For every speculation that is created about innocent people, especially within our family, damage is done to people who do not deserve such pressure from the public," Torres said.

She stressed that unwarranted speculations tend to pre-judge the probe and "put the family at great risk."

She added that she wanted the casket closed so that the public would have only the fond memories her mother brought them as an actress.

Torres announced that a foundation which she described as a cornerstone of the family’s public service would be set up in honor of her mother.

Meanwhile, a police source privy to the investigation said Lauren has admitted in his affidavit given to the probers that he went to the Atlanta Towers Centre in Greenhills, San Juan at about 2 a.m. on Nov. 7.

Blanca’s lifeless body was found about six hours later at the back seat of her green Nissan Sentra sedan at the sixth-level parking lot of the building where she worked as an official of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB).

Homicide investigators refused, however, to categorically say if Lauren is considered a primary suspect.

CIDG chief turns media-shy

Director Nestorio Gualberto, chief of the PNP’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), said they want to focus first on their leads before divulging any vital information to reporters. "We do not want leaks to adversely affect our investigation," he said.

Gualberto also heads Task Force Marsha, composed of top investigators from the CIDG, the Eastern Police District and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and was specifically created to investigate the Blanca murder.

The source said it appeared that Lauren, riding a Nissan Vanette, managed to enter Atlanta Centre without being seen by the security guard on duty, who normally logs all vehicles coming in and going out of the building.

Lauren allegedly claimed he merely checked from a distance his wife’s car.

"The husband claimed he was looking for Nida Blanca," the source said without elaborating.

Gualberto has reportedly formed a special team of crack agents to look into the possible involvement of Lauren, a husband of the multi-awarded actress for 20 years, in her violent death.

But in a press briefing, Gualberto clarified that they continued to consider Lauren as a witness.

Gualberto has also said he invited Lauren for questioning following reports that the couple’s relationship had turned sour and that they had been quarrelling.

Unsolicited information reaching Gualberto’s office indicated that Lauren was upset because Blanca had named Torres, her only daughter by a previous marriage, as the sole heir of all her assets, including their house in White Plains estimated at P25 million to P30 million.

Gualberto said earlier there were strong indications that Blanca was killed over a personal grudge, but added that they were not ruling out other probable motives.

A second angle being eyed by the investigators was the possibility that Blanca was slain because of her threat to testify in an estafa case filed against a female friend from Laguna.

The case was reportedly filed last August by Blanca’s personal aide, Candelaria "Dinding" Tantoco and her sister, Sylvia Santos, against a certain Marilyn Sese alias Annette Ryan.

Sese allegedly bilked Santos and Tantoco in July of P450,000 to facilitate the issuance of their British visas, but respondent failed to fulfill her promise.

The complainants said Sese became close to Blanca after they introduced her to the actress.

Reports indicated that Sese has been arrested and detained at the municipal jail in Siniloan, Laguna.

Meanwhile, Mendoza said the testimonies of at least 22 witnesses so far interviewed by the police gave conflicting accounts of Blanca’s activities on the night of the killing, making it difficult for the investigators to identify the killer or killers.

"What we need is hard evidence to help us trace the killers," Mendoza said.

He noted that Blanca "spent her (last) day in a very unusual way."

Security personnel of the casino said video tapes taken by the closed circuit television showed that Blanca was in the place on Monday night, not Tuesday as earlier reported.

Other witnesses maintained, however, that they saw Blanca playing at the casino from 8 p.m. to about 12 a.m. on Tuesday evening. One of the witnesses told a national television network that Blanca played the slot machine next to her on Tuesday night.

The witness added that Blanca appeared to have won some P40,000 when her female companions told the actress that it was time to go, but she insisted to stay a bit longer. — With Jaime Laude, Cecille Suerte Felipe