‘Tisoy’ killing clarified At a press conference in Camp Karingal yesterday QCPD director Chief Supt. Joselito Esquivel (right), along with Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit chief Supt. Rodelio Marcelo, shows a copy of an autopsy conducted on Genesis Argoncillo. ANALY LABOR

“Genesis Argoncillo died from multiple blunt force trauma, his body bore injuries in head, neck, chest, upper extremeties.”

Five policemen, including a station commander, were sacked while two detainees were charged with murder following the death of Genesis Argoncillo, alias “Tisoy,” while detained at the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Station 4 in Novaliches.

National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar said QCPD Station 4 commander Supt. Carlito Grijaldo, duty officer PO3 Dennis Sano and three other policemen were relieved of their posts pending investigation of Argoncillo’s death.

On the other hand, the two detainees who inmates at Station 4 had tagged as behind the mauling of Argoncillo are facing murder raps, according to QCPD director Chief Supt. Joselito Esquivel Jr.

They are Richard Bautista and Justin Mercado, who are both members of the Sputnik gang.

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Oscar Albayalde, citing a report of Dr. Jethiel Fabon, earlier had belied claims by Argoncillo’s family he was beaten to death.

Albayalde said Argoncillo complained of difficulty in breathing on June 19 due to congestion at the detention facility. He was immediately rushed to Novaliches District Hospital but was pronounced dead.

The PNP chief, apparently relying on the QCPD information, even said Argoncillo did not bear any sign of external injury, contrary to claims of his family.

As it turned out, Argoncillo died from “multiple blunt force trauma” and his body bore injuries in the head, neck, chest and upper extremities.

Argoncillo was nabbed for “alarm and scandal” last June 15 by elements of QCPD Station 4 amid the PNP’s intensified campaign against “tambays” or loiterers.

According to witnesses, Mercado and Bautista allegedly conspired with other inmates to beat up Argoncillo inside the prison cell Monday night.

Esquivel stressed they will conduct a thorough investigation on the death of Argoncillo.

“We will investigate everyone involved, including the police officers on duty, until the truth comes out and then prosecute the guilty to the full extent of the law,” he said.

“One thing is clear: the police did not kill him,” Esquivel stressed in a television interview yesterday.

Citing witnesses’ claims, Esquivel said “Tisoy” was running to and fro inside the jail, adding the “mayor”–a leader of the Sputnik Gang– told him to sit down but “Tisoy” “was stepping on other people’s toes, and when Argoncillo wasn’t following orders, he was battered by fellow inmates.”

“Ang nangyari kay Tisoy, hindi siya naka-cope sa situation niya, and I understand that. Ang mali lang na nangyari, binugbog siya,” he said.

Jail congestion has been a problem in the country. A Commission on Audit (CoA) report last year said Philippine jails are 511 percent congested due to snowballing number of inmates, with the last count reaching as many as 30,544 since 2015.

Esquivel also clarified Argoncillo was jailed for violating a city ordinance not due to “Operation Tambay.”

“Hindi naaresto si Tisoy sa ‘Operation Tambay.’ He was taken in at about past 8:30 p.m. Ang ‘Operation Tambay’ namin usually after midnight, after the curfew.”

Meanwhile, Quezon City 6th District Rep. Kit Belmonte, whose area covers Novaliches where Argoncillo is a resident, filed a resolution seeking an investigation into the “detention and death of people under similar circumstances” on Thursday.

In a statement, Belmonte said “there is an urgent need to investigate the rising number of illegal arrests and questionable detention procedures, similar to the circumstances of the death of Genesis “Tisoy” Argoncillo who was arrested in relation to the intensified anti-loitering drive.”

Based on the death certificate obtained by the victim’s family, Argoncillo indeed died due to multiple blunt force trauma to the neck, head, chest and upper extremities.

According to Esquivel, police have yet to receive a copy of the death certificate and will have to verify its authenticity.

While the family continues to say police were mainly responsible for Argoncillo’s death, Esquivel said they have yet to find evidence the police at the station were directly involved.

Nevertheless, he admitted there were lapses among the police if Argoncillo died due to violent means.

“May lapses ang jail guards and iyung oversight ng station commander, which was why both of them were relieved to give the full-blown investigation,” he said.

Station commander Supt. Carlito Grijaldo and jailer PO3 Dennis Saño have been relieved of their posts because of the incident.

Argoncillo, 22, was watching videos on his phone in front of a store next to their house in Novaliches, Quezon City Friday night last week when policemen arrested him because he was not wearing a shirt, according to his elder sister.

Grijaldo, the chief of Quezon City Police Station 4, claimed Argoncillo’s death was self-inflicted, alleging the detainee was “mentally disturbed” and was uncontrollable, making a scene inside the cell.

Marilou disputed the claim, insisting Tisoy was “very soft-spoken” and never had any mental health problem nor any tendency to create a scandal, as the police were trying to portray him.