BCPO urges businesses to aid teen slay probe

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — The Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) is appealing for public cooperation in the investigation of a 17-year-old girl who was killed and allegedly sexually assaulted here.

This comes after only 12 of 33 business establishments allowed police to access closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage that could help identify the victim’s whereabouts and possible interactions before her body was found hogtied in a vacant lot in Barangay 12 on Oct. 22.

In a press briefing Monday, Police Col. Joeresty Coronica, BCPO director, urged the 21 remaining establishments near the victim’s boarding house and the crime scene to allow investigators to view CCTV footage to aid in the ongoing investigation.

“Only 12 cooperated, while others told the police that the request for CCTV viewing is still pending with their top management,” Coronica said.

He explained that the police could not compel the establishments, as a city ordinance requires a court order to view or extract CCTV footage.

“We are just asking for their cooperation to expedite the investigation,” he added.

Coronica said investigators would only view the footage initially and would request extraction later if it is deemed relevant to the case.

He emphasized that the lack of cooperation was delaying the investigation.

“How can we solve the case if there’s no cooperation from the public?” Coronica said.

“We could not collect pieces of evidence to identify the perpetrators even if we have the best investigators.”

He stressed that the BCPO is committed to solving the case and bringing justice to the victim, but the absence of CCTV footage and eyewitnesses—even with a PHP 100,000 reward—has made the process more difficult.

Coronica said CCTV footage would help them conduct backtracking and forward tracking, beginning from the moment the victim left her boarding house through areas where she was last seen.

Based on the initial 12 footages reviewed, the victim was last seen passing by a store in Barangay 12 after leaving her boarding house shortly past 5 p.m. on Oct. 21.

He thanked the 12 establishments for cooperating and allowing police to check their CCTV recordings without requiring a court order.

“So far, there’s no concrete information that’s coming in,” he said.

Despite the obstacles, Coronica said the investigation will continue, and a Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) has been formed to lead the probe.

He said they are focusing on six persons of interest, including individuals last seen with the victim and those she previously had dealings with.

Police earlier revealed that the autopsy showed the victim was strangled, with semen traces found on her body.

She also bore scratches and bruises, suggesting a struggle and possible recognition of her attackers.

She was laid to rest on Oct. 29, and her family continues to call for justice.