CA upholds arrest warrant vs ex-barangay chair tagged as Manila’s ‘drug queen’

MANILA, Philippines – The Court of Appeals (CA) has upheld an arrest warrant against a former barangay chairperson accused of being behind a drug ring with the help of so-called “ninja cops” and masterminding a murder tied to the illegal drug trade.

The CA’s decision to uphold the warrant against Guia Gomez Castro, accused of being Manila City’s “drug queen,” leaves her facing trial for a case that has become emblematic of allegations against local officials tied to the country’s illegal drug trade.

Associate Justice Jaime Fortunato Caringal of the CA’s 3rd Division, in a 16-page ruling on November 15, dismissed Castro’s petition to quash the warrant issued by a regional court in Quezon City in connection with the 2011 killing of Police Officer 1 Roderick Valencia.

Valencia, suspected of reselling confiscated illegal drugs, was killed by motorcycle-riding gunmen in Barangay Salvacion, Quezon City, on July 13, 2011.

The case remained unresolved for eight years until one of the suspects, Ernesto Encarnado, executed an extrajudicial confession linking Castro to the crime. 

Encarnado, who was identified as the motorcycle driver, alleged that it was Castro who ordered the hit because Valencia, supposedly, had failed to remit proceeds from recycled illegal drugs. 

He alleged that there was a P50,000 arrangement for the killing and identified the triggerman only as a certain “Alex.”

It was Encarnado’s confession that became the basis for the murder case against Castro, who has denied any involvement. 

Castro, for her part, claimed that she did not know Valencia and Encarnado, and that the accusations were fabricated to frame her.

She also questioned the case’s long delay, the lack of autopsy or death certificates, and the weight given to Encarnado’s confession years after the alleged conspiracy.

In 2021, the 88th branch of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Quezon City denied her motion to quash the arrest warrant but the judge later inhibited from the case. The case was moved to the RTC Branch 224, which upheld the warrant, prompting Castro to elevate the matter to the appellate court.

The CA, however, found no merit in Castro’s arguments, and upheld the rulings of the Quezon City courts. The appellate court also said probable cause had been sufficiently established by Encarnado’s detailed confession.

The CA noted that Encarnado had a longstanding relationship with Castro, who spoke about their shared neighborhood and alleged involvement in illegal drug operations. It added that Encarnado’s statement provides strong grounds, describing his account as “coherent and plausible.”

These details, according to the CA, could be further examined during trial. – Rappler.com