Authorities have arrested former Police Major Allan de Castro and his driver-bodyguard, Jeffrey Magpantay, in connection with the disappearance of beauty pageant contestant Catherine Camilon in Balayan, Batangas. According to a report from GMA News Online, the arrests took place on Saturday, September 14, 2024.
Police Regional Office 4A confirmed that De Castro was apprehended around 7:47 p.m. in Barangay Caloocan. Magpantay was arrested nearly an hour later during the same operation. Both men now face charges of kidnapping and serious illegal detention related to Camilon’s disappearance in 2023. The Batangas Regional Trial Court filed the charges, with no bail recommended for the suspects.
This marks the second time the two suspects have been implicated in Camilon’s case. Initially, the charges against them were dropped on May 15, 2024, due to insufficient evidence. However, renewed investigations have brought the same charges back against them, after new evidence surfaced connecting them to Camilon’s disappearance.
De Castro, who was reportedly in a romantic relationship with the missing beauty queen, has consistently denied any involvement. He was previously cited for contempt during Senate hearings on the case earlier this year for allegedly withholding the truth. Despite being held in Senate detention, he was later released by Senator Bato dela Rosa on “humanitarian” grounds.
The timeline of Camilon’s disappearance is pieced together from CCTV footage and witness testimony. She was last seen on October 12, 2023, passing through several Batangas towns with a companion. Later that day, witnesses claimed to have seen a bloodied Camilon being transferred to another vehicle, with Magpantay allegedly present in the area.
Further evidence emerged when investigators found an abandoned vehicle in the area. The Philippine National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) revealed that hair strands and blood samples recovered from the SUV matched the DNA profile of Camilon’s parents.
PNP CIDG Director Major General Romeo Caramat Jr. emphasized the strength of the evidence, stating, “Our witnesses did not lie. There is corroborative evidence that the woman they saw being carried by the suspects was certainly Miss Camilon.”
The case has drawn widespread attention, with authorities now focused on ensuring justice for Camilon and her family. The investigation remains ongoing.