Friday, October 06, 2006 No special treatment for Soc’s son: jail warden
CHIEF Insp. Johnson Calub, Talisay City warden, yesterday assured they will treat murder suspect Joavan Fernandez like any other detainee.
“That’s an assurance, he will not be given a VIP treatment. He will be detained just like the other inmates here,” said Calub.
That assurance followed speculations that Joavan, Mayor Socrates Fernandez’s son, will be accorded special treatment at the city jail in Barangay Maghaway, such as being allowed to stay in the warden’s office or away from the other inmates.
The Talisay City Rehabilitation and Detention Center (TCRDC) officially received Joavan at 3:20 p.m. last Wednesday after a police team, led by Talisay City Police Station Chief Romeo Perigo, secured a commitment order from the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 12 in Cebu City.
Calub refused to reveal the specific cell Joavan is occupying, saying only that the mayor’s son is in one of the five cells at the TCRDC.
A project of former Talisay mayor Eduardo R. Gullas, Fernandez’s political ally, the TCRDC sits on a two-hectare property in the hilly village of Maghaway, a 10-minute habal-habal ride from the commercial area in Barangay Tabunok.
Unfair
“I just hope that Major Calub is sincere in his pronouncement. It would be unfair to other inmates if he (Joavan) is given special treatment. He must be given the same treatment as what other inmates are getting in jail,” said Councilor Alan Bucao.
Bucao described Joavan’s surrender to the authorities as a good gesture on the part of Fernandez.
However, Bucao said the mayor should not have waited for the adverse comments from the media before he turned over his adopted son to the local police.
Joavan is facing a murder charge in connection with the shooting of jeepney driver Panfilo Barique in Barangay Cansojong last Aug. 29.
He also faces two separate frustrated murder complaints for the wounding of Timoteo Aleo, Edmund Ong and Carlos dela Calzada.
However, the three have already executed affidavits of desistance, which investigators believe could affect the murder complaint filed by Barinque’s widow.
The arraignment of the murder case has been scheduled on Oct. 19. (GC)
