MANILA: The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Thursday said it would appeal the dismissal of the kidnapping and illegal detention complaints against a former police officer and his driver tagged in the disappearance of beauty queen Catherine Camilon.

In a press briefing held at Camp Crame, PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said the Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) Camilon will file a motion for reconsideration on the filed complaint before the Batangas Provincial Prosecutor’s Office against dismissed police officer Maj. Allan de Castro, Jeffrey Magpantay and two John Does.

‘They will be exhausting all legal remedies available to us to possibly file a motion for reconsideration and/or petition for review to the Department of Justice (DOJ) because they believed that they presented all the necessary evidence to prove the connection of De Castro and Magpantay in the continued disappearance of Camilon on Oct.12, 2023,’ Fajardo said.

In an April 16 resolution, DOJ Calabarzon officer-in-charge regional
prosecutor Josef Albert Comilang dismissed the complaints for lack of evidence.

He also ordered the release of Magpantay from detention “unless he is being held for some other lawful cause.”

Meanwhile, Catherine’s mother Rose lamented the DOJ’s resolution, but said she is not losing hope.

“I cannot believe that my daughter is dead unless I see her. I cannot, in my heart, accept it. I am hopeful, no matter how painful it is,” she said in a phone interview, adding that their family is thankful to the PNP for its effort to locate Catherine.

Camilon, a teacher in Tuy town, was last seen alive in October last year at a mall in nearby Lemery.

Camilon last made contact with her family when she called up to say she was in Bauan and was going to a meeting in Batangas City.

Source: Philippines News Agency