MANILA - Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Thursday floated the idea of witness protection for Dexter Carlos Sr., a security guard whose entire family was butchered inside their home in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan last month.

"If he feels threatened or if he fears for his safety, we will study if he can be placed under the Witness Protection Program which the [Department of Justice] administers during the duration of the trial of the case to be filed against the suspects. If qualified, we will expedite his admission into the program," Aguirre said in a statement.

The DOJ, he added, is willing to extend any assistance that Carlos may need on top of the legal assistance being offered by the Public Attorney's Office.

"We call on Mr. Dexter Carlos Sr., or anyone who knows him to communicate with our office on how we can best help him. Losing one's family to criminals is a very hard experience for anyone. We should help him get the justice he deserves," Aguirre said.

Carlos himself found the lifeless bodies of his 3 children, wife and mother- in-law last June 27.

Construction worker Carmelino Ibañez last week confessed to killing the victims and raping the 2 women.

He said he and his accomplices "Tony" and "Inggo" were high on drugs and alcohol during the murders.

Inggo and another person of interest were murdered by suspected vigilante groups last week.

Ibañez meanwhile retracted his confession on Wednesday, saying he was threatened and tortured by policemen to own up to the Carlos family's massacre.

The police and the National Bureau of Investigation are conducting separate investigations into the crime. -- With Johnson Manabat, ABS-CBN News