NBI, Scene of the Crime Operatives meet on Failon case

MANILA, Philippines - National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) officials met yesterday with members of the police Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) at NBI headquarters in Manila for a case conference on the death of the wife of ABS-CBN news anchor Ted Failon.

NBI Regional Director Edward Villarta, chief of the bureau’s National Capital Region (NCR) Division and head of the investigating team; lawyer Ricardo Diaz, NBI spokesperson and chief of Anti-Terrorism Division (ATD); and head agent Arnel Dalumpines, chief of the NBI’s Special Task Force (STF), were present.

NBI Director Nestor Mantaring did not attend the case conference on the death of Trinidad Arteche-Etong.

Failon’s wife Trinidad was found with a gunshot wound to her head inside a bathroom of their house at No. 27 General Aquino Street, Tierra Pura Subdivision in Tandang Sora, Quezon City, last April 15.

Failon (Mario Teodoro Failon Etong in real life), a news anchor of ABS-CBN TV Patrol, claimed that his wife committed suicide due to financial problems, but the police were still investigating if there was foul play. Even Trinidad’s relatives believe Failon’s claim, which was confirmed by the househelp. Trinidad died the next day at the New Era General Hospital in Quezon City.

Diaz said the NBI and the Philippine National Police (PNP) agreed that Trinidad had died of a bullet wound, that the bullet entered the right temple and exited through the left temple, that there are no other external physical injuries noted on the body, that the body was not found in a standing position, and that the stomach was almost empty of contents purportedly as a result of stress.

Diaz said the law enforcement agencies agreed that serology (blood study) was not conducted because Trinidad was still alive when she was brought to the New Era Hospital.

The investigators said a joint ballistics examination will be conducted on the caliber .380 Walter PPK pistol that was found at the crime scene, a joint experiment on the bullet’s entry and exit points would be conducted, confirmatory findings will be done by the NBI on the SOCO reports, the scene of the incident was in the bathroom, and a majority of the blood was found there.

Diaz said officials of the New Era Hospital have not yet turned over to the NBI the clothes worn by the victim when she was brought to the hospital because they could not find the clothes worn by Trinidad.

“The attending physicians do not know where the clothes are,” Diaz said.

Diaz said hospital officials explained that the New Era Hospital staff do not usually accept emergency cases and the staff were not aware of the proper handling of the clothes and other belongings of patients.

He said the hospital staff are trying to find Trinidad’s missing clothes, a vital piece of evidence in the case.