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Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Cotabato scions make trouble in Davao anew
By Ben O. Tesiorna
DAVAO CITY -- Scions of powerful and influential families in Cotabato again figured in a melee that started in a bar and ended with a chase along the corridors of the Davao Medical Center.
Involved in the incident were Mohar Sinsuat Adin, Jay Uzman, Lovell Fernandez, Joey Esguerra, and Renante Palmis.
Esguerra and Palmis were not together at that time, although they know each other and it was Palmis who helped bring Esguerra to the hospital.
Reports gathered by Sun.Star Davao showed that Esguerra's group was talking with three ladies in a bar at past 2 a.m. Sunday.
"It was claimed that Sinsuat's group threw ice at them. Esguerra rose to confront them but was instead mauled," said Melanio Dilan, chief investigator of Sta. Ana police.
Esguerra was hit with a bottle of beer and a fight ensued.
Palmis, Esguerra's friend, rushed the victim to the San Pedro Hospital.
Palmis reported the incident to the Sta. Ana Police Precinct.
When he returned to the San Pedro Hospital, he was advised to bring Esguerra to the Davao Medical Center so that they can have Esguerra's injuries documented.
But as Palmis entered Davao Medical Center, Sinsuat with seven other companions arrived on board two vehicles.
The young men disembarked and hit Palmis's red Honda Civic several times, breaking all its windows.
Esguerra, who was still inside the car, ran to the emergency room and Sinsuat's group chased him, not minding the security guards who tried to stop them.
"The chase reached the second floor of the Davao Medical Center, causing fear among the patients. At the second floor, a soldier was apparently watching over a patient and he was the one who was able to order Sinsuat's group to leave," Dilan said.
A video was taken of the chase inside the hospital.
In the footage, a guard attempted to keep Sinsuat and his companions from leaving the hospital premises but they went on to board a Honda CRV and sped off not minding the guard.
Sinsuat's group was however apprehended by the Buhangin Police a few minutes later.
Unconfirmed reports said the Buhangin police called up the Sta. Ana Police requesting they turn over Sinsuat's group to that precinct since the incident happened within its area of responsibility.
Dilan on Tuesday questioned the Buhangin police's turnover of the troublemakers to the Sta. Ana police precinct.
He said the Buhangin police should have conducted an investigation first against Sinsuat and his friends before turning them over to Sta. Ana since the suspects were also involved in the Davao Medical Center incident, which is under the Buhangin area of responsibility.
Records at the Sta. Ana police showed that Sinsuat was the first to report the incident to the police at 4:05 a.m.
Sinsuat claimed that he was the one who was mauled by "unidentified group of persons" who also struck him with a bottle resulting in injuries to his elbow.
At 7:55 a.m. that same day, Palmis reported the incident. He claimed it was Sinsuat's group who mauled Esguerra and smashed his car.
Palmis was the first to report the incident to the Sta. Ana police but for unknown reasons police blotter showed otherwise.
Superintendent Leonardo Felonia said the police blotter mix up was unintentional and that they had already remedied it.
Felonia said they were set to file charges against Sinsuat's group and that they are just waiting for the complainant to show up.
Esguerra was already released from the hospital and is said to be recuperating at their home in Tagum City.
Felonia said they might file physical injury charges against Sinsuat and his companions.
He said they are still gathering evidence and witnesses against the suspects who are still at large.
Sta. Ana police got hold of the suspects but released them after a few hours.
Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte was reportedly irked by the incident especially that it happened right inside the Davao Medical Center.
Duterte earlier made a warning to scions of influential families from Cotabato to behave whenever they are in Davao City.
It seems the mayor's warning fell on deaf ears. The incident was not the first that happened in the city.
A few years back, the grandson of Maguindanao Governor Datu Andal Ampatuan allegedly shot and killed Carlo Asistido inside The Venue compound.
A group of Cotabato scions also roughed up Duterte's son, Paolo, two years ago at the Apo View Hotel, while another Ampatuan fired his gun at the Rizal Promenade at around the same period. (Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)
(May 17, 2006 issue)
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