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Saturday, September 24, 2005
Mayor blames politics as accuser reportedly flip-flops
Bogo Mayor Celestino “Tining” Martinez III smells “something fishy” in his being linked to the P9.4-million Land Bank of the Philippines robbery last August.
In a press conference, Martinez wondered why robbery suspect Dindo Ancero chose to come out with his revelations yesterday morning, after the papers reported in the past week controversies involving his mother, Cebu Rep. Clavel Asas-Martinez (Cebu, fourth district).
“I don’t want to point fingers, but nagduda nako ba,” he told reporters.
Martinez said he wanted to clear his name, as well as his family’s, and asked that Ancero take a lie detector test.
He also expressed apprehension about Supt. Vicente Loot being on top of things, saying he could not help but doubt the latter’s motives.
Loot, the acting Cebu provincial police chief, is the husband of Daanbantayan Mayor Ma. Luisa Loot, an ally of Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia.
In a separate interview, the governor said Martinez should come up with his own defense aside from his favorite “politically motivated refrain.”
Tining, whose father Celestino Martinez Jr. ran against Garcia in last year’s elections, said the issues maligning his family’s name appear to be planned and that politics could be behind it.
For his part, Supt. Loot said he expected the Martinez clan to blame him and politics for the recent development, especially because it the governor who put him at the Cebu Provincial Police Office.
Loot, however, insisted that arresting Ancero was his job and it had nothing to do with politics.
Also, he said the arrest of Ancero was based on a warrant issued before he took the post.
However, last night, Ancero reportedly took back his statements implicating Martinez. (See main story, A1)
Martinez said he does not know Ancero and Joel Sumabong, said to be his bodyguard and team leader of the robbery gang. He acknowledged, though, that Ancero is a popular Bogo family name.
He said he and his family do not maintain goons and that there is no need to because he ran unopposed for mayor of Bogo.
Martinez wants an independent body such as the National Bureau of Investigation 7 to come in.
He pointed out that Daanbantayan Mayor Loot is said to be planning to run against him in the next elections.
He revealed that his family wants him to run as district representative.
“Why in our own backyard? Ang among lugar, dugay nang gitabangan sa among pamilya. Bogo used to be a sleepy town compared to what it is now. Only to do something like this?” he said.
Martinez added that he even kept on asking Bogo Police Chief Arturo Pacifico for updates on the case, but Pacifico told him that the case was sent to higher headquarters.
“I laud them for arresting the suspects. What I don’t like is that my name has been dragged into this,” he said.
He also said that Loot even promised to pay him a courtesy call in Bogo, but this has yet to happen.
Martinez said he is willing to submit himself to an investigation if only to clear his name.
In a separate interview, Supt. Loot said it was Ancero who volunteered the information to the media and that he even warned Ancero that his revelations could be used against him.
But since Ancero insisted, he said he could not stop the person from telling reporters what he knew.
However, Loot said he might ask the reporters of two television networks who first heard Ancero’s allegations to make sworn statements attesting to Ancero’s statements.
He also plans to meet with the investigating units in a case conference to find out if Ancero’s revelations can be used in the case. (MEA/With JPM)
(September 24, 2005 issue)
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