Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Police Gen. Guillermo Eleazar ordered the Manila Police District to conduct an inventory of all pieces of evidence and records kept in their crime laboratory that was hit by fire on Thursday (Nov. 4).
Eleazar said it is necessary to make sure that no important documents, evidence, or records were damaged in the fire.
“Dapat ay agad magsagawa ng kumpletong imbentaryo ang MPD Crime Laboratory sa lahat ng mga ebidensiya o papeles na nakalagak sa kanilang opisina. Mahalagang matiyak na walang mga importanteng ebidensya, dokumento, o records ang naapektuhan ng sunog,” he said.
“The role of the crime laboratory in any police unit as evidence custodian is an integral part of law enforcement and criminal prosecution. The integrity of the evidence must always be protected,” he added.
The PNP chief also said, “Inaalam sa ngayon ng Bureau of Fire Protection [BFP] kung sinadya o aksidente ang sunog bilang bahagi ng procedural investigation nito.”
Initial information from the BFP said the fire was due to a chemical, toluene, that sparked and ignited.
The fire started at 9:45 a.m. and was declared under control at 10:15 a.m. No one was hurt in the blaze. (PNP-PIO) – jlo
