Friday, August 29, 2008 After Soc, Talisay police chief goes on leave
TALISAY City Police Office Director Supt. Romeo Perigo has gone on leave, weeks after Mayor Soc Fernandez filed for a leave of absence.
Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) Director Carmelo Valmoria yesterday clarified that Perigo went on leave due to health reasons.
Valmoria said Perigo would have gone on leave two weeks ago, but the controversy involving Joavan Fer-nandez, son of Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez, forced him to stay on.
Because there were questions on Perigo’s performance in handling cases involving Joavan, Valmoria said the Talisay chief wanted to prove he was doing something and put off his leave of absence.
When asked when Perigo will return to work, Valmoria said it depends on Perigo’s health.
Valmoria said the recent incidents involving Joavan were the basis for applying for a search warrant before the Judge Soliver Peras.
While he admitted no firearms were found during yesterday’s raid, he said they received information that there were guns that’s why they applied for a search warrant.
Valmoria said it was only yesterday morning that they caught Joavan inside his house, prompting them to conduct the raid.
“We did not want to go to the house without Joavan, so we waited for the proper timing. But based on the facts, they did not find any weapon,” he told reporters.
They also checked records at the Firearms Explosives Security Agencies and Guards Supervisory Section (Fesagss) and they found no records that allowed Joavan to carry a firearm.
Joavan, in a radio interview, earlier admitted to owning a gun for protection. He retracted his statement a day later in another radio interview, saying he only had a toy gun, a statement similar to the claims of his father. (MEA)
