The owner of the vehicle in the hit-and-run incident that killed a male nurse in Manila on Thursday surrendered to the Manila Police District (MPD) but claimed someone else has been using her vehicle for the past two weeks.
MPD spokesman Police Lt. Col. Carlo Magno Manuel on Thursday said the owner of the vehicle, identified as Saudah Bacaye, is willing to cooperate in the investigation over the death of 23-year-old Renz Jayson Perez.
Bacaye, female, 30 years old, was placed under the custody of the MPD.
“Nasa kustodiya na ng Manila Police District ‘yung may-ari ng sasakyan at actually dinedeny naman nila, ang ano willing silang magcooperate, bayaran o ano pa man ‘yung danyos na nagawa ay puwede nilang i-settle. Nageestablish pa tayo ng witnesses to pinpoint,” Manuel said.
Manuel, however, said Bacaye has claimed that their vehicle was borrowed for two weeks and that they did not know that it got involved in an accident last August 23.
“Sinasabi nila pinahiram nila ‘yung sasakyan pero obviously naman ‘yung sasakyan gamit nila araw-araw,” he said.
“’Yung information namin na nakuha sa barangay nila, ‘yung sasakyan nila nandoon lagi sa kanila at minsan may time pa nga na prior to the incident, inano pa nga ‘yun eh parang sinita na naka-illegal parking,” he added.
Manuel said Bacaye is from Quezon City. Authorities were able to trace the car owner through CCTV footage and the car’s conduction sticker.
Bacaye could face additional charges for refusing to turn over the vehicle to the police, police said.
“’Yung sasakyan, wala pa. ‘Yun ang ayaw nilang iturnover. Tinatago nila,” Manuel said. “Magkaka-conduct pa naman ng investigation ang traffic, puwede nga silang maano ng obstruction.”
Lawyer William Delos Santos, representing Bacaye, vowed they would cooperate in the incident. He also claimed there was a different driver, not the owner of the vehicle, when the incident happened.
“We will not give any statement at this time, but rest assured that we will cooperate in settling the matter. We know someone was accidentally killed, accidentally died so we are willing to give what is due to the family of the deceased,” Delos Santos said.
Delos Santos, however, refused to provide the identity of the driver of the vehicle when the incident happened, but he noted that there is no intent to hide the driver from authorities.
“We cannot divulge the identity at this time… It’s not my client,” Delos Santos said, claiming that even Bacaye does not know the driver.