Details emerge about beating death of Philippine Consulate secretary

The disturbing details of the beating death of Teresita Canilao, better known as “Tessie,” who served as secretary since the 1980s to numerous consuls general at the Philippine Consulate of Honolulu, were revealed Monday in court documents.

State Sen. Bennette Misa­lucha (D, Pearl Harbor-Pearl City-Aiea) said her office has been inundated with calls about the death of Canilao, a well-known figure in the local Filipino community. Many speculated on how she died, but upon hearing the update Monday, Misalucha said through tears, “this is worse.”

Rogelio Guevarra Canilao, Canilao’s 81-year-old estranged husband, made his initial appearance in Honolulu District Court on Monday on the charge of second-degree murder in the death of his 76-year-old wife in her Ala Moana apartment.

The couple had been estranged for many years, and Rogelio Canilao was visiting from Los Angeles, Misalucha said, adding they never divorced because she was a devout Roman Catholic.

Tessie Canilao, a mother of two daughters and a grandmother, was “gentle, soft-spoken, very kind, with a very refined demeanor,” and “the quiet way she lived her life was in stark contrast to her death,” Misalucha said.

Late Thursday night a man called 911 saying he needed help and that someone was murdered.

Court documents filed Monday reveal that when a police officer entered the 929 Sheridan St. apartment, he found Rogelio Canilao’s socks apparently soaked with blood and his chest and legs spattered with blood, court records filed Monday show.

Police found the body of his wife, unresponsive and covered in blood, on the floor of apartment 706, apparently beaten to death with an unknown object.

“I murdered my wife,” Canilao told a responding officer, according to court documents seeking probable cause for his warrantless arrest.

The first officer arrived at midnight Friday, and Teresita Canilao was pronounced dead at 1:09 a.m. Friday. Canilao was arrested at 12:40 a.m. Friday, initially on second-degree attempted murder, until the death pronouncement, when it was changed to second-degree murder.

Honolulu District Judge Thomas Haia confirmed Monday the $1 million bail for Canilao, who appeared from the District Court cellblock by videoteleconferencing. A preliminary hearing is set for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Misalucha said Tessie Canilao provided valuable insight of Hawaii to the consuls general and their staff, who rotate in and out of Honolulu, and are “now posted around the world, so her influence has been pervasive.”

She spoke Tagalog and was originally from the Philippines, so she was a trusted member of the community and could translate and explain who people are and “could share the nuances of operating in Hawaii,” Misalucha said.

In a written statement, the Philippine Consulate in Honolulu said it “deeply laments reports of the death of one of its employees, a long-time local hire.

The Consulate awaits official confirmation and shall continue working with local authorities investigating the case. Out of deference to the family, the Consulate refrains from making any further comment.”