Wednesday, June 06, 2007 Bautista still not a fugitive By Carlo P. Mallo
INCUMBENT Davao del Sur Representative and defeated gubernatorial candidate Claude Bautista is still not considered a fugitive because even as murder charges have already been filed against him and four of his aides, the court still has not issued a warrant of arrest for him.
But, Police Regional Office-Southern Mindanao Director Andres Caro III said that although Bautista is not yet wanted, his movement is being monitored just in case he opts to flee.
There is also no hold-departure order for him, another order that only the court has jurisdiction to give, Caro said.
Reports gathered by Sun.Star Davao revealed that Bautista is no longer in the province of Davao del Sur but does not intend to slip out of the country.
Bautista has also allegedly sought the help of high-caliber lawyers from Metro Manila to help him defend himself in court.
Bautista is accused of killing a mayoralty candidate and the candidate's engineer-son in his hometown, Malita, in Davao del Sur.
Witness accounts point to Bautista as the one who actually pulled the trigger and killed the son, Danilo Sarmiento, while his aides were the ones who shot Isidro, a mayoralty bet and father of Danilo.
Bautista has claimed self-defense, saying it was Isidro who tried to fire at him first. This claim of Bautista was disputed by witnesses who said Isidro went out with a gun only after Bautista shot dead his son.
