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Whodunit? Police in a bind over shooting of Failon’s wife
By MARK MERUEÑAS, GMANews.TV
Papa, Iâm so sorry. Gustung-gusto ko ang magsabi sa iyo ng totoo pero hindi ko po alam kung paano uumpisahan. Sobrang takut na takot ako. Umalis muna ako, kasi hindi ko kaya at nahihiya akong humarap sa iyo. Sana po mapatawad mo ako, papa. Sorry, sorry papa. â Mama
MANILA, Philippines - Quezon City homicide investigators on Wednesday night were digging deeper into the circumstances that led to the shooting of the wife of ABS-CBN TV Patrol news anchor Ted Failon after they received conflicting versions of the incident that occurred earlier in the day. Failonâs wife, as of early Thursday, is still in critical condition, doctors at the New Era General Hospital said. Police are looking into two angles: violent crime or suicide attempt. ABS-CBN TV Patrolâs Ron Gagalac on Wednesday night quoted a source from the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) as saying that based on the investigatorsâ initial findings, it was Failon â whose real name is Mario Teodoro Failon Etong â who allegedly shot his wife Wednesday morning. But Gagalac quickly cited another report by Superintendent Franklin Moises Mabanag, chief of the QCPD Criminal Investigation Detection Unit, that investigators are looking into the possibility that Failonâs wife tried to commit suicide. Scene of the incident âcleanupâ baffles police After being alerted about a shooting incident in broadcast journalist Teodoro âTed" Failonâs home in Quezon City, police investigators rushed to the site hoping to gather every single piece of evidence they could find. Investigators, however, were greeted with an already âcleaned up" scene of the incident: the bathroom where Failon's wife was reportedly found. Even the vehicle used to rush her to the hospital was also cleaned. It turned out that it was Failonâs house maids â initially identified as Frida and Carlota â who did the scrubbing at the bathroom, and Failonâs driver Glenn Pulan, who took care of the blood stains in the Pajero vehicle. All three people told police they did it âon their own volition," according to Franklin Moises Mabanag, chief of the Quezon City Police District-Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit. âThey say [no one ordered them]. They did it by their own volition," said Mabanag, adding that the three could be charged for violating Presidential Decree No. 1829 penalizing the obstruction of apprehension and prosecution of criminal offenders. Even the gun, allegedly used in the shooting, passed hands, according to investigators, making it hard for the police to reconstruct the scene of the incident. âThe firearm was taken by Glenn, and it was passed to Ted. All of these were removed from the crime scene so we are [having difficulties] in reconstructing how the victim was positioned thereat, including the place of the slugs and the empty shells," said Mabanag. Investigators said the bullet entered on the left side of Trinidadâs temple, but the gun was reportedly found on the right side of the victimâs body. Could there be a cover-up? Mabanag said this could be âpretty normal to be accepted considering that probably when they carried the victim, it [gun] was pushed on the right side." What Mabanag found puzzling was the absence of ricochet marks in the room where Trinidad was found lying. âWe noted that if it was from the left side, from the left temple going to the right, there was no markings on the wall of the comfort room," said Mabanag. âWe cannot even see where the slug was ricocheted or stopped because it was flattened and the jacket of the slug was removed⦠Reportedly, it was found by the maid but the maid was I think the third or the fourth who entered the comfort room during the crime," he added. Mabanag also found that Failon's statement on how he saw his wife at the bathroom was different from the statements given by the house helpers. Also, the note purportedly written by Trinidad cannot be considered as a suicide note, according to Mabanag. âWe cannot consider this as a suicide note kasi na-receive daw niya [Failon] ito last night when the wife went out with the sister [because Failon received it last night before his wife left with her sister]," he said. - Mark Merueñas, GMANews.TV
Heated argument The unnamed police officer reportedly said that Failon shot his wife, Trinidad Archete-Etong, at the height of a heated argument inside the coupleâs car. After the incident in Tandang Sora, Failon reportedly rushed Trinidad to the New Era General Hospital on Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City. The ABS-CBN report said the hospital declined to give details on Trinidad's condition. Gagalac quoted Dr. Salvador Corpuz, New Era medical director, as saying that Failon ordered the hospital not to give any information to the media about the incident. The same report said Trinidad's relatives also declined to give any statement to the media, according to Corpuz. In another report, radio dzBB quoted Corpuz as saying that Trinidad was rushed to New Era at about 11 a.m., Wednesday. Wifeâs letter of apology The report said Failon told Mabanag that Trinidad left their home in Tierra Pura Homes along Tandang Sora Avenue in Barangay Culiat, Quezon City, Wednesday night after the couple had an argument. Trinidad reportedly left a letter to Failon wherein she said that she was sorry. âPapa, Iâm so sorry. Gustung-gusto ko ang magsabi sa iyo ng totoo pero hindi ko po alam kung paano uumpisahan. Sobrang takut na takot ako. Umalis muna ako, kasi hindi ko kaya at nahihiya akong humarap sa iyo. Sana po mapatawad mo ako, papa. Sorry, sorry papa â Mama," read the note that was reportedly written by Failon's wife. [Papa, Iâm so sorry. I really want to tell you the truth but I donât know where to start. I am so scared. I left home because I cannot take it anymore and I donât think I can face you. I hope you can forgive me, papa. Sorry, sorry papa â Mama.] Failon undergoes paraffin test - Police photo
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