The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has been ordered on Thursday by Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II to find the cab driver whom the 19-year-old former UP student Carl Angelo Arnaiz allegedly robbed.
In his Department Order issued Thursday, Aguirre said “the NBI, through Director Dante A. Gierran is hereby directed to locate the whereabouts of Mr. Tomas Bagcal and granted authority to conduct investigation and case build-up over the alleged robbery against Carl Arnaiz and to determine the factual circumstances that led to the death of Mr. Arnaiz.”
The Justice Secretary told reporters that it is very important for them to get the driver. He added that the cab driver could face charges if he is found guilty of making false statements about the alleged robbery of Arnaiz.
“He was supposed to be a robbery victim. But if he made up his story then he can be prosecuted,” Aguirre said.
On the contrary, Aguirre added that Bagcal could be placed under the Witness Protection Program (WPP) if it’s proven that he was forced to make the statements or if he really was a robbery victim.
“As long as you do not appear to be the most guilty, pu-pwede kang bigyan ng coverage ng WPP [as long as you do not appear to be the most guilty, you can be covered under the WPP],” said the Secretary.
To recall, in his affidavit dated August 18, Bagcal said that he could not determine the robber. However, in his affidavit on August 29, he described the robber having the same clothes worn by the slain student. He also gave different locations of where the incident took place.
On August 18, Arnaiz was killed by Caloocan City police officers who claimed that they were responding to a robbery reported by Bagcal. Arnaiz had been missing for 10 days after leaving their home in Cainta, Rizal. His body was then found in a morgue in Caloocan.