Arrest warrant vs ‘drug queen’ stays
Encarnado confessed that Castro masterminded Valencia’s killing due to the latter’s failure to remit large sums from the sale of recycled illegal drugs
Daily TribuneEncarnado confessed that Castro masterminded Valencia’s killing due to the latter’s failure to remit large sums from the sale of recycled illegal drugs
Photo Courtesy of Manila PIO
The arrest warrant issued against a former barangay chairwoman tagged as Manila City’s drug queen for allegedly organizing a drug ring with the help of “ninja” cops remains in effect after the Court of Appeals (CA) affirmed it.
In a 16-page decision, Associate Justice Jaime Fortunato Caringal — writing for the CA’s Third Division -- junked the petition of Guia Gomez Castro, who was elected chairperson of Barangay 484 in Sampaloc, Manila in 2018.
Castro sought to set aside the arrest warrant issued by the Regional Trial Court of Quezon City in connection with the killing of PO1 Roderick Valencia, a suspected drug reseller under her payroll.
To recall, Valencia was shot dead by two motorcycle-riding men in Barangay Salvacion, Quezon City on 13 July 2011. The case remained unsolved for eight years until Ernesto Encarnado, the motorcycle driver, executed an extrajudicial confession implicating Castro in the killing.
Encarnado confessed that Castro masterminded Valencia’s killing due to the latter’s failure to remit large sums from the sale of recycled illegal drugs. He also named an alias “Alex” as the gunman. In his confession, Encarnado recounted that Castro asked him to find a hired killer to eliminate Valencia for P50,000.
Based on Encarnado’s information, murder charges were filed against Castro, who denied the accusations. Castro claimed she did not know Valencia and that while Encarnado was her neighbor, he had a questionable character due to a previous arrest for drug possession and selling.
She also alleged that Encarnado’s story was fabricated and that he was being manipulated to falsely implicate her. Castro further argued that the case was long delayed and sought the dismissal of the warrant.
On 2 June 2021, the QC RTC Branch 88 denied Castro’s motion to quash or recall the arrest warrant issued on 11 February 2021. However, the presiding judge voluntarily inhibited from the case, and it was re-raffled to QC RTC Branch 224, which upheld the warrant.
Castro appealed to the CA, arguing that the trial court judges abused their discretion by finding probable cause for the arrest warrant. She claimed the judges erred in giving more weight to Encarnado’s extrajudicial confession, which was made eight years after the alleged conspiracy. She also questioned the issuance of the warrant without an autopsy report or death certificate to prove Valencia’s exact date and cause of death.
The CA disagreed with Castro’s arguments, stating that they should be addressed during a full trial. The court concluded that the trial courts’ finding of probable cause to issue a warrant of arrest against Castro was justified by the evidence presented.
