Woman suspected in Blanca killing
Investigators are looking for the companion of slain actress Nida Blanca who reportedly went with her to a casino in Manila on the eve of her brutal slaying, sources said.
Investigators are looking for the companion of slain actress Nida Blanca who reportedly went with her to a casino in Manila on the eve of her brutal slaying, sources said. Investigators are looking at the angle that Blanca, a former comedian-actress, might be a victim of foul play by a criminal syndicate at the casino.
Investigators refused to give more details such as the location of the casino, sources said. "The actress had dinner with her companion," said the same sources. An autopsy report showed she had undigested food in her stomach, a sign that she had eaten before she was killed.
"Someone saw her at midnight. It has been established that she had left the building which housed the office of the Movie and Television Review and Classifi-cation Board (MTRCB) at four in the afternoon of Tuesday," said Criminal Investigation Detection Group head, Nestorio Gualberto.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) announced it has identified one of the suspects in the brutal murder, but officials refused to reveal his identity in order not to pre-empt the ongoing investigation. Blanca died at four on Wednesday morning, autopsy reports said, prompting observers to believe she suffered a slow death.
When her relatives started looking for her, security guards found her body in the back of her car in a parking space at a condominium building in suburban Quezon City at 8 a.m. on Wednesday. One of Blanca's killers could be a woman as shown by the shallow stab wounds inflicted mostly on her face and armpits, forensic officer Dr Maximo Reyes theorised.
There were signs that the attacker was in an emotionally agitated state, said Dr Reyes. "The victim could have been stabbed in the body, but many of the wounds were repeated thrusts to her face."
Eastern Police District Chief, George Alino, explained: "We are treating everyone as a suspect as long as we are solving the gruesome murder." NBI Chief, Reynaldo Wycoco, said: "We admit that the case is not easy to crack because it was well planned. It was not something that was decided on the spot."
The NBI said robbery, crimes of passion, and insurance fraud could also be the reason for Blanca's death. A cousin of Blanca said the actress has a "big amount" of insurance claims, the beneficiary of which was Catherine Torres, Blanca's daughter based in the United States.
Four out of 10 witnesses have submitted their sworn statements. They included MTRCB employees and Antonio Borja, Blanca's part-time driver. Some of Blanca's nail samples were submitted for laboratory analysis to determine if she was able to scratch her attackers who could be identified through DNA tests.
Veteran actress Gloria Romero burst into tears as she attended Blanca's wake at suburban Quezon City's White Plains subdivision. "For a week, she was quite sad because of the death of Nenita Vidal, also an actress," said Romero.
"She was also worried that one of our friends, Lita Gutierrez, also an actress in the 1950s and 190s, was very sick," recalled Romero. "In fact, we were supposed to meet at five in the afternoon of Tuesday, for a prayer meeting for Nenita," said fellow actress Caridad Sanchez.
"When she did not arrive, I got worried. She usually called if she was late. She would always explain why she could not come to a date," noted Sanchez. "I am quite shocked to hear that she was seen at the casino before she was killed," she added.
Romero added: "I can't help but cry just thinking that she suffered alone for hours when she was killed. I am sure that God was with her when she was being maimed and killed."
Filipinos from all walks of life remained shocked by the brutal murder of the film industry's icon, known as a soft spoken actress whose acting career spanned five decades, making her one of the most durable entertainers in the country.
Actors and actresses agreed with Blanca's family that her casket should remain closed. "The family wanted the casket to be closed, not because she's not good to look at, but we want to remember her alive," said a niece named Ditas.
"In her death, she has retained her beauty even if she received several wounds in the face," Ditas added. The actress sustained five wounds in her cheeks, five in the left armpit, two in the back, and one fatal blow below the left ear, which reached her jugular vein and larynx. "Only one nail was taken from her finger for DNA tests. She was not tortured as reported," said Ditas.
