(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte met with parents of slain teenager Carl Angelo Arnaiz on Wednesday.
Apart from Duterte, and Carlito and Eva Arnaiz, also in the meeting at the Malago Clubhouse in Malacañang–based on pictures provided by the Department of Justice—were Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre and Public Attorneys Office chief Persida Acosta.
The 19-year-old Arnaiz and his 14-year-old companion Reynaldo de Guzman went missing on Aug. 18 after they went out to buy midnight snacks.
Arnaiz was in a morgue in Caloocan for more than 10 days before he was found by his relatives.
The Caloocan Police said Arnaiz had robbed a taxi driver, who reported the incident to patrolling policemen.
The police said the patrolling policemen chased after Arnaiz, who shot at them, prompting the officers to retaliate.
But Arnaiz’s parents disputed the police account, referencing the PAO’s autopsy results that showed the teenager appeared to have been kneeling before he was killed.
PAO said the teenager appeared to have been tortured as he bore handcuff marks and a swollen eye.
Days later, De Guzman turned up dead in Gapan, Nueva Ecija.
Gapan police said the 14-year-old boy bore around 30 stab wounds.
They said his body had also been burnt.