The Office of the Provincial Prosecutor in Catanduanes has thrown its full support behind the call of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) for local government units to procure and utilize Philippine-made DNA kits in the investigation of sexual assault cases.
“In view of the rising number of sexual abuse cases in Catanduanes, we at the prosecution service will definitely encourage the local government units to procure the Sexual Assault Investigation Kits and distribute them to women and children protection desks (WCPD) in all municipalities of Catanduanes,” Provincial Prosecutor Mary Jane L. Zantua told the Tribune recently.
They will be a big boost in the criminal investigation of sexual assault cases, she stated.
“DNA evidence is physical evidence, and the Supreme Court has repeatedly said that ‘physical evidence is evidence of the highest order. It speaks more eloquently than a hundred witnesses,’ the OPP chief stressed, citing the High Court’s ruling in People v. Gapasan, 243 SCRA 53.
The Department of Justice’s top prosecutor in the island made the comment in response to a Tribune query regarding Memorandum Circular No. 2026-035 issued on June 18 that encouraged all LGUs to invest in and utilize the Sexual Assault Investigation Kit (SAI.Kit).
Launched last May 19, the kit is a locally developed forensic innovation by the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD), through its Natural Sciences Research Institute – DNA Analysis Laboratory (NSRI-DAL), in partnership with Manila Health Tek Inc. (MTek), the Child Protection Network Foundation, Inc., and with support from the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD).
It is designed to aid in the proper collection, handling, and preservation of forensic evidence, including DNA samples, in sexual assault cases.
With the use of the kit by health professionals in collecting samples that can be used as admissible evidence, sexual assault survivors can now genetically identify perpetrators.
Inside the kit are sterile swabs, collection tubes, tamper-evident seals, and documentation forms to preserve the “chain of custody” or the documented handling of evidence from collection to laboratory testing.
Apart from the tools, the kit also has forms that document patient narratives, consent, details of samples collected, and the chain of custody.
This ensures that the integrity and validity of the sample will hold up in court, the researchers said, along with the necessity that patients should visit a healthcare facility within 72 hours in order to effectively collect evidence.
An instruction manual guides doctors on what samples to collect and how to collect them, the NSRi-DAL explained.
The location of the samples would be determined by patient narratives to establish likely points of contact between perpetrator and patient.
It emphasized that these areas are more likely to contain perpetrator DNA, consistent with Locard’s Exchange Principle which states that “every contact leaves a trace.”
“In females, that is usually the internal genitalia. For males, that might be the anus,” UPD researched Miriam Ruth Dalet explained to the media during the launch. “But there could be other sites, such as the mouth or other parts of the body. We have swabs that doctors can use for these.”
The kit itself functions as a swab stand to facilitate the air-drying of the samples to avoid mold growth during storage. It also includes containers for larger items, such as pieces of underwear or clothing.
There will two (2) sets of samples for each kit, with one set sent to the laboratory for DNA testing while the other set remains with the collecting agency to ensure redundancy in evidence collection.
Aside from the patient documentation forms, the kit has forms in English and Filipino that help ensure proper procedures are followed by medical personnel. These forms facilitate documentation of patient narratives, consent, details of samples collected, and the chain of custody.
Timing will matter in sexual assault cases as DNA evidence is ideally collected within 72 hours after the incident. Beyond that, evidence may begin to degrade or disappear.
The researchers also prioritized affordability, as imported sexual assault kits can cost around P7,000 each.
The team said its local industry partner, MTek, is trying to keep the SAI.Kit at around P1,000 or less.
During the launching of the kit, they called for stronger coordination among hospitals, local governments, law enforcement agencies and courts, alongside legislation that would standardize forensic DNA processes nationwide.