so why did the police behave so badly when they found out about ted failon’s wife trina? i think because they were mad as hell that the shooting had not been immediately reported by the family or the hospital or their spies. mahigit tatlong oras na ang nakalipas nang malaman nilang itinakbo ni ted sa ospital ang duguang si trina. ibig sabihin, walang nag-tip sa pulis, they’re so out of the loop, ano ba yan. siyempre, napahiya sila, and they took it out on ted and trina’s sibs and the househelp.
so why were the police so unbelieving that it was a suicide, preferring to treat everyone as a suspect? because the crime scene had been tampered with by the time they were notified. this is where ted has some explaining to do. according to reports he was in the hospital for an hour or so and then he went home, i suppose, to be there for the young daughter karisma. so had the househelp cleaned up na the bathroom by the time he got home? or did he himself give instructions to clean up, to spare the daughter, thinking that since it was a suicide, no crime had been committed, the house was not a crime scene?
whatever actually happened, those were huge mistakes on ted’s part, not notifying the police immediately and not instructing the househelp to stay away from the bathroom (at the very least). was it obstruction of justice? it would seem so, but not for reasons of guilt, rather for the sake of the daughter, which should count for something.
for now i don’t believe ted killed his wife. but i can believe that trina took her own life.
i have a friend whose wife committed suicide a couple of years ago. it was also over huge money problems that she wouldn’t share with her husband, she was supposed to know what she was doing. she also locked herself in the bathroom then slit her throat and stabbed herself several times in the chest. it was also the husband who found her, and who removed the knife that was still buried in her chest so he became the prime suspect and was brought to court.
my friends and i were shocked and distressed. knowing the husband as we did, we couldn’t believe he could have been so vile and violent. on the other hand, knowing his wife as we did, we couldn’t believe that the situation was so hopeless, or that she had no other way out but to die, and so violently. in the end the forensic evidence of suicide was convincing; the court ruled that the wounds were self-inflicted, my friend was acquitted and finally allowed to grieve in peace and start over with the kids.
this trina etong case brings it all back. and only now do i see how much worse it could have been for my friend and his family had he or his wife been a public figure. as neither was, the media were only mildly interested, and the police were coldly professional had no axe to grind. it helped too that my friend got himself very good lawyers.
To paraphrase Ted Failon: Naleh-leh-to ako (nalilito ako, i’m confused)
I think you read it right. The cops are going all out to hang a parricide case on Failon. They’re grabbing at straws. Saying paraffin tests don’t mean a thing after no trace of gunpowder was found on Failon yet insisting on paraffin tests for his wife and sister in law, Imagine what the police would have said if Failon tested positive.
Why is it that the last ones people think of going to for help is the police?
San Diego sya’s:
“Hindi porket high profile si Failon at critical siya sa QCPD…hindi totoong gumaganti kami kay Failon [Not because Failon is high profile and he has been critical of the QCPD, it is not true that we are taking our revenge on Failon]”
Is this a case of the fish getting caught in it’s own stinking mouth?
Inept police force using brawn not brains for lack of it that makes it really scary and then we have a PAO so confused what her role is thus SiRAUL O GOONzalez says she is crazy. This reminds me of the saying that it takes one to know one…….. I rest my case your horror este honor.
Hi Angela, I’m back. Yup, if Ted was a nobody and if Ted did not make hard-hitting commentaries against the the QCPD, they wouldn’t be trying so desperately to pin murder charges against Ted. Imagine the trauma Karisma would have had she seen blood all over the place. A father would do everything to protect his children. It’s human nature. I suppose this cannot be said about our police, they’re every bit beasts.
I am surprised.
People (who) daw are reacting to the way the police are handling the investigation. Too rough (daw) kay Ted.
I say syet na malagket, people are just reacting because it is TEd. The police are just being true to themselves. They acted the way they do to all financially challenged (hence di maka-name drop)Juan and Juana dela Cruz out there.
In fact, I would like to say BOO to the police for giving TED the Royal or VIP treatment. Kung si ordinaryong Juan dela Cruz ang napagsuspetsahan ng pumatay sa kanyang Misis, kalaboso na yan agad, care ba ng mga pulis kung gusto rin ng Mister na makidalamhati dahil nasa ospital ang Mrs. niya. Pero sa Pareng Ted, alahoy, pinayagang pumunta sa ospital for what – HUMANITARIAN REASON daw. Me ganire ba sa mga ordinaryong Juan dela Cruz na ang pwede lang iname drop e me kamag-anak silang nagwawalis sa MMDA.
Nagrereklamo daw ang mga kapatid ng asawa ni Ted. The police daw were too rough. Aba, dapat nga masaya sila dahil sa wakas nagtatarbaho na ng maayos ang mga pulis. Walang mayaman, walang mahirap, walang me pangalan, basta me kasalanan, kahit na pressumed, assumed, kaladkarin agad, tsaka na paliwanag. Paano na kaya si Juan dela Cruz, illegal ng pinasok ang bakuran, pinalo pa o nabatukan ng baril, at mas madalas nakukwelyuhan pa, bakit walang tv coverage pag umaatungal ng hustisya.
Kawawa nga si Ted. Tignan mo, anak ng pating, sa sobrang kawawa si Ted, andun agad yung pinuno ng PAO. The heck. Tignan mo nga, pati yung nag-iisang opisina na dapat para lang sa mga naghihikahos na di kayang magkaroon ng abogado,napasugod agad, at holy shet na maglket, nag-isyu pa ng legal opinion in favor of the kawawang Ted. Tell me PAO, bakit pag yung mga nagmamartsang raliyista, yung mga nakatsinelas lang ng 3 for P100 na kitang-kita pa sa TV na pinapalo ng mga pulis, bakit ala kayo dun para magtanggol para sa kanila. Paki-explika po. kulang po ba sa tv eksfosure (with apologies to Patani) kay no time kayo run.
Pasensiya na po kung napahaba, sobra po akong surprised sa outpouring of grief para ke Pareng Ted. :ife is really unfair for ordinary guys like me. Bakit kaya sa pamamahay namin, pag naglaba ako bigla ng aking polo, me sapok ako agad ke Misis. Ang krimen ko? Inassume ni Misis na pag naglaba ako, I am hiding something. Si Pareng Ted, isang dakilang mambabatas, naglinis ng ebidensiya, gusto pa ata ng pat in the back and someone to tell him, Good Job, Ted.
It is hard to sustain obstruction of justice so early in the time line of events. The governing law is PD 1829, which gives nine (and only nine) acts that could be “obstruction” (for example, preventing a witness from testifying, or misleading law enforcement by giving them false leads). But “cleaning up the scene of the crime” is not even included. But more importantly, obstruction of justice is one of those crimes that require knowledge (“knowingly” applies to its commission). Here the knowledge is that there is a criminal investigation or proceeding. Possibly it is a legal loophole since before you report the death of a person, strictly speaking, there can be no criminal investigation. Also, mens rea or criminal intent must exist. Thus, it seems obvious that the household help cannot be charged with obstruction of justice.
Hi Angela! You’ve changed your look too. Very nice… love it.
Re the story.
Don’t really know, in fact never ever heard of Mr Failon until recently, but from what I’ve been reading, seems the man and his family are being treated unfairly by the police.
The whole RP blogsphere seems to be hooked to the ongoing police melodrama.
Schumey,
You`re right, to empathize with Ted, it is father`s instinct to prevent his daughter from witnessing a gruesome sight. I had a tiny misgiving about his presence of mind nang gawin niya yun, however other instances convinced me na no Ted wouldnt shoot his wife.
re: wilyam3rd
To empathize with Juan dela Cruz, yup you have a point right there. In fact nangiti na lang ako sa isang radio program kung saan depensa to the extreme si Korina Sanchez kay Ted, singling out police mishandling as well as doubting the absence of a Failon family representative when conducting investigation in Ted`s house, baka raw mgplant ang police ng evidence against Ted. There she tried to expose some kind of police injustice as if it happened only to Ted, when the common Juan dela Cruz has in varying degrees been also exposed in the same maltreatment.
However, this kind of mishandling should be condemned, kahit mangyari man ito sa mayaman man o sa mahirap. Ang pinag-uusapan dito ay human rights and not the equal treatment of the masses. The police is too reckless kaya ang imahe nila, bully kung hindi action-packed idiots na nag-aangas ng nasa tagiliran at dami ng kayang tirahin in one shot. Ang alam ko ang pinupuwersa lang ay ang mga nagddrive ng lasing, pero nang damputin yung sober na bayaw ni Ted , kamuntik na yatang masakal sa pagkakahawak sa likod ng kuhelyo.
Iyon ang problema. I am glad sana now that the police force is doing their job, yet that doesnt mean that they are doing it well. The people held under investigation are innocent until proven otherwise, yet the police treated them as if they are already convicts.
Sinubukan kong maging dedma sa isyung ito had it not of the way the police has terribly blundered. Yes, it is a BIG BLUNDER.
I mean rights of the accused in particular, not human rights : )
equality too, is a right.
schumey! salamat naman at oks ka na (?) welcome back! medyo masalimuot itong kaso ni ted failon, ‘no. feeling natin the police are persecuting ted unreasonably, bawian blues and all. but then it’s a matter of perspective. like wilyam3 says, from his pov ted is getting special treatment pa nga…
wilyam3rd ;) totoo rin, ted shouldn’t be complaining of persecution dahil kaduda-duda, o questionable naman talaga ang mga ikinilos niya at ng kanyang mga kasambahay. it would seem that he actually thought he could get away with not notifying the police until he was good and ready, that is, after cleaning up the crime scene. so now i’m thinking, there must have been other ways of handling the daughter problem, if that was the only reason for cleaning up the place. tungkol naman sa PAO, oo, ano ba yon, ang lakas talaga ni korina, kahit wala sa lugar.
vin ;) terrible blundering all around, actually. in fairness naman to the police, the blundering started with ted, and nag-react na lang sila. i can’t imagine what ted was thinking, maybe that his connections and the right media spin would win it for him in the end, basta mairaos lang muna ang burol at maihanda ang mga anak? hay, i hate to speculate but how hard ;)
hey orlando ;) thanks for that info. “knowingly” is the keyword pala. so if the househelp did it, not knowing they shouldn’t have, then it’s not obstruction of justice. but if it was done on ted’s instructions, then he must have done it “knowingly” and so he’d be liable, ‘no?
thanks, anna ;) i love the new look, too!
well if the police made a terrible blunder in this case, so did Ted. A lawmaker and a noted broadcaster cleaning up a potential crime scene? Baw guid guinoo, now we have another reason why we shouldn’t be putting celebrities in the congress. You do something as stupid, then you invite gossip.
Also, I am not saying that what the policemen did to Ted and his group was correct. Oh yes, I condemned the way the police handled the siblings of Tina I am just saying that now “we are seeing what is wrong” just because it is being done to a celebrity.
And to Korina Sancehz, an unsolicited advise – why don’t you try riding with the good Senator when he does his traysikad thing so you will know that there are more injustices being committed out there that need your attention. Hayaan mo na si Pareng Ted. He can fight his own battle. Besides, ayan na nga ang PAO.
Take time to watch the Tulfo Brother shows like Bitag or your own station produced show – SOCO. Watch these shows and tell me if I am correct in saying Ted was given the royal treatment. See how these suspected criminals are being apprehended – TINUTUKAN AGAD NG BARIL, SINASALYA, PAG NAGKAMALING UMANGAL ME BONUS PANG BATOK, KINAKALADKAD – all these being done under the presumption that all are considered innocent until proven guilty. Never mind also that these policemen come barging not in proper uniform and not showing any ID at all. Mind you, captured by camera and shown weekly in tv yan. I didn’t see that happening to Ted. In fact, clearly, you can see that there was apprehension on the apprehending officers. Ba, parang nakikusap pa nga yung police officer na magbalik si Ted sa presinto. Naykopo, me ganyan ba para ke ordinaryong Juan dela Cruz.
Well, may this case serve as an eye opener and a warning.
An eye opener to the police – you have to treat everybody equally. Pag hinuli mo si Juan dela Cruz na regular mo namang kinukwelyuhan at isinasalya dahil trabaho lang, dapat when you apprehend John Doe, you should also do the same.
And as a warning to the police – you cannot make kawawa a well connected celebrity, otherwise, what could be worse than having Persida Rueda Acosta in your face.
Angela,
I think you asked if Ted himself or the household help is liable for obstruction if Ted, for example, directed the cleaning up of the bathroom? No, because cleaning up a bathroom is not listed in the special law on obstruction of justice. Also no, if Ted or the help did not yet know that there is a criminal investigation or proceeding. The law is clear and narrow, because otherwise, the police would have great powers to abuse the population.
But of course, as in many tv/movie crime stories, if the perp cleans up a scene, and there is other evidence, the cleaning up is circumstantial evidence, and conviction may be had.
It just occurred to me. Who has the duty to report a gun shot injury? I don’t think it’s the next of kin. I think it’s the hospital or the doctor. But I may be wrong.
orlando: oops oo nga, youre saying it’s not obstruction of justice to begin with. but even if ted knew the importance of the crime scene, just because wala pang criminal investigation, lusot pa siya? parang labo naman noon. re who should report the gunshot injury. the hospital nga daw, pero tila napakiusapan ni ted na wag muna, wag agad i-report, which gave him a few hours before a criminal investigation began.
Angela,
We cannot even presume the bathroom is a “crime scene” because suicide is not a crime (if there is an innocent explanation, that prevails because of Ted’s constitutional presumption of innocence, which some bloggers forget). So, if the hospital acceded to his pakiusap, which by itself is also not a crime, only the hospital may have some kind of legal liability. And cleaning up of the bathroom is not enough for “probable cause” for a warrant of arrest, though we can take note, as in your original post, that it is SOP to consider the surviving spouse a suspect in violent death/injury cases. But being seen as a suspect is not the same as being charged with obstruction of justice. Kaya this case is instructive of the balance between the power of the state and the constitutional rights of the individual.
thanks, orlando ;) noted!
i think ted failon knew all the along what he had done before and after the discovery of the ‘crime’. speculative na lang whether he was in the state of confusion and why he did what he was not supposed to do – cleaning of bathroom, not reporting incident to the police, instructing hospital staff not to allow media, etc… kasi respected media personality siya & ex-congressman pa who certainly knows the law…until and unless he comes up with convincing version rather than diverting the issue to police lapses, the court of public opinion will be harsh on him.
[tanong ko lang, may maaasahan pa ba tayong maayos sa ating kapulisan?]
tiaongero ;) i agree. it would seem that ted failon thought/thinks he can/will get away with all that because of his media and political connections. but the court of public opinion can indeed be harsh. i suppose he will run for senator pa rin on erap’s ticket, and he would read a win as vindication, a la erap. may panalo pa kaya siya? i think it would depend nga on how convincing he is in the coming days.
if trina had her husband’s unconditional assurances, love and support for some dreadful wrong that she did and sorry for, why would she end her life? Indeed, mr. failon may find it difficult to dissociate himself with the circumstances surrounding his wife’s death. Women voters will have this in mind if he becomes a senatorial candidate in 2010….
i’ve tried the cinnamon + honey concoction and still wondering how it’s going to lower my sugar / cholesterol readings. more importantly how it can improve my stamina and everything that goes with it.
if it does, then count me as one of your grateful beneficiaries.
tiaongero ;) it’s the same question we asked about my friend’s wife. i think that there was an overwhelming sense of shame involved. they were known as “strong” women, and the prospect of being exposed as not being too smart about managing money was simply too unthinkable. whatever, the way ted is playing up to the sympathy of the crowd seems to be working… aha, the cinnamon + honey, a positive attitude should help it along, let’s hope ;)
i have a friend whose wife committed suicide a couple of years ago.
Was this the one who owns a printing business. Our company used to have our brochures and stuff printed by them. In fact they were in the middle of doing something for one of our overseas convention gigs when it happened. Such a tragedy.
hey jeg ;) small world.
nakalimot na kayo! yong mahigit 100 na erap supporters na nambato at sumugod sa Malacanang nuong May 1, 2001 rebellion edsa 3..kulong sila pulis sa CIDG at WPd, sino nagpalaya sa kanila.. si ATTY. PERSIDA ACOSTA ang nagtanggol sa mga yun.. siya nag appear sa court para palayain. kahit sino basta powerless and kinukulong at may depensa pinalalaya ni acosta. Malay mo susunod kayo na iiyak at hihingi ng tulong at advice sa kanya. libre pa…
sabi nga sa bible.. wag tayo agad hahatol, baka tayo ang mahatulan ni Lord…