Catherine Camilon's friend withdraws as witness against ex-cop

A witness in the case of missing beauty queen Catherine Camilon has backed out due to security concerns. 

“[The friend] mentioned that her life was in danger and she was receiving death threats. She also felt there were people tailing her wherever she [went],” Camilon's sister, Chin-Chin, told The Philippine STAR. The witness sent the letter to the Regional Trial Court in Batangas on Friday. 

Chin-Chin and her mom, Rose, were devastated over the friend's decision to withdraw from the case against dismissed police major Allan de Castro and his bodyguard.

“Nandoon ho lagi ‘yung pag-asa namin sa kanya… ang alaala namin, tuloy-tuloy na matutulungan. Sobrang sakit ang naramdaman [namin] dahil wala siyang ginawa para tulungan kami. Sobra, sobrang sakit,” Rosa said, per ABS-CBN News.

Rose is asking other potential witnesses to come forward and help provide information about her daughter, who has been missing since October 2023.

“Lagi kong hinihiling sa kanila… magkaroon ng kalinawan, makalutas ang kaso naming ito para malaman namin kung nasaan po ang aming anak, kung ano ho ba talaga ang nangyari sa kanya,” Camilon's mother said.

Philippine National Police spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo told reporters that the PNP wants to assure the witness that they will protect her.

"Kaya 'wag siyang mag-atubili, 'wag siyang magdalawang isip dahil ang intensyon naman natin ay bigyang hustisya ang pagkawala ng kanyang kaibigan," she said on Aug. 4.

Fajardo added that the witness had "critical" information, as she was the last person Camilon talked to and supposedly had knowledge about the beauty queen's relationship with De Castro.

Chin-Chin told The STAR that the court hearing has been rescheduled to Sept. 2. De Castro and his bodyguard, Jeffrey Magpantay, were released on bail in March.