Wednesday, June 13, 2007 Nerissa’s hubby, official face raps for poll violation
A PARTY officer and the Lapu-Lapu City police accused Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Lito Ruiz and Basak Barangay Captain Isabelito Darnayla of violating election laws and filed a case against them at the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas.
Lakas-NUCD liaison officer Benedicta Jasmin said she saw Ruiz’s armed bodyguards and Darnayla enter the Science and Technology and Educational Center (STEC), a voting center in Barangay Basak, during the canvassing of votes on election night.
But Ruiz told Sun.Star Cebu he just delivered food to their watchers and the policemen were just his usual PNP escorts as undersecretary.
He said he will answer the charges in court. Ruiz’s wife, Nerissa, was reelected in last month’s elections.
Long firearms
In her affidavit, Jasmin said she saw Darnayla, with Roberto Ochea, his tanods and six unidentified persons with long firearms enter Precinct 151-A and 151-B.
The armed men reportedly wore vests with DILG markings.
Jasmin did not identify Ruiz in her affidavit. It was PO3 Rudino Amistad and PO2 Victor Pepito Jr. who said they actually saw Ruiz on his way out of the voting center, together with his armed PNP escorts.
In their joint affidavit, the two policemen stated that two persons armed with rifles went out ahead of the place, followed by Darnayla, Ruiz and the rest of the group. The group then walked towards a building being temporarily used as the Basak barangay Hall, adjacent to STEC.
The two officers also stated in their affidavit that Celestino Baguio, overall supervisor of the Board of Election Inspectors, told them that Darnayla and the armed men were inside the premises of STEC compound.
The two identified only three of the armed men as SPO1 Leo Dairocas and two other police officers they knew only as Englis and Plaña.
Surprised
Insp. Felix Pacaldo, who came in after Ruiz and his group left the STEC, stated in his affidavit that Dairocas, who used to work with the Lapu-Lapu City PNP, informed him that the armed men were police operatives assigned to secure Ruiz.
Ruiz was surprised yesterday why complaints against him and other officials were filed long after the incident. He believes this was orchestrated by those who lost in the May 14 election.
“I did not see any violation with that,” Ruiz told Sun.Star Cebu.
Last June 1, 2007 City Attorney Vincent Joseph Lim sent Jasmin’s affidavit to the local PNP and asked then chief Noel Gillamac what they would do about it.
The Lapu-Lapu City Police endorsed the complaint to ombudsman’s office last June 8, together with the affidavits of Pacaldo, Amistad and Pepito. (OCP)
