Del Castillo dismisses inclusion on ‘drug protector’ list
By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga
Following reports claiming Atty. Erfe del Castillo withdrew the murder and frustrated murder complaints that were filed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) before the Talisay City Prosecutor’s Office earlier this month, she denied the reports, stating, “I never back down in my fight for the truth.”
“There is no truth that I will withdraw the case,” she stated. “I am still collating evidence about the participation of several John and Jane Does.”
The NBI is currently investigating the 11 suspects del Castillo named as having involvement in a conspiracy to kill her in a December 21, 2018 ambush, which resulted in the death of her fiancée Efren Palmares, Jr.
The NBI filed murder and frustrated murder cases before the Talisay City Prosecutor’s Office
against three police officials, two non-commissioned police officers, a businesswoman, a lawyer, two civilians, a media practitioner, and unidentified persons.
Meanwhile, with her inclusion on the lists circulating on social media tagging certain individuals as “drug protectors,” del Castillo slammed the mastermind behind the accusations.
“The inclusion of my name [on] the list is to condition the mind of the public that my ambush has something to do with drugs,” she explained. “In the event that something happens to me again – and I know that they are still planning to kill me – they will pass it off as ‘drug-related.’”
Del Castillo said she knows who is behind the list, saying, they are the same ones behind her ambush.
“It came out almost immediately after my ambush,” she said. “Since their participation in the preparation and spread of the list has become obvious, they made another list to make it appear that their names are there to avoid drawing attention to themselves.”
In a statement sent to local media, she mentioned her lawyer-client relationship with Senior Police Officer 1 Joshua Barile, who is named in the case surrounding the murder of the brother and father of former Berya drug group bagman Ricky Serenio.
Del Castillo said she would be speaking more on the matter after formal charges are filed, pointing out, a connection between the police officer and Task Force Kasanag commander John Chiong.
“It is very obvious that the one who requested an investigation of that list has something to do with it,” the attorney speculated. “In order to deflect attention to himself, he asks for an investigation.”
“He is working with a respondent in my ambush, who has a propensity for making up stories and spreading it as fact,” she added. “I know their style.”/DGB, WDJ