The Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) on Thursday refused to provide legal assistance to the suspects allegedly responsible for the brutal killing of John Matthew Salilig, the Adamson University engineering student who was found dead after allegedly attending fraternity initiation rites.
In a press conference, the PAO chief Persida Rueda-Acosta said the suspects should seek legal aid from private lawyers instead.
“Ang lakas nila nambugbog tapos lalapit sila sa PAO? Kaya kayo gagawa kayo ng crimen tapos gusto niyo PAO [na] ipagtanggol kayo?” she lamented.
“Gusto ba ng PAO na hawakan ang mga iyan? Paano kung mga anak mo ang mga namatay? Hindi napatay iyan, pinatay. Kapag may hawak kang dos por dos o kaya sinutoron, at pinaghahagipit mo sa isang tao, hindi kapabayaan 'yun, pagpatay 'yun," Rueda-Acosta added.
The PAO Chief also said that they cannot represent the suspects because the kin of Salilig first sought help from them.
There would be a conflict of interest, she added.
Rueda-Acosta said murder complaints should have been filed against the suspects, who are all members of Tau Gamma Phi.
Police authorities arrested and filed charges against the six suspects for violating Republic Act No. 11053 or the Anti-Hazing Law of 2018.
The father of one of the suspects who refused to be served with the search warrant was also arrested.
As of writing, eight more suspects are still at large.
Based on the autopsy report from the Cavite Provincial Crime Laboratory released also on Thursday, Salilig’s body died from "severe blunt force trauma to the lower extremities.”
