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Saturday, July 07, 2007
South Cotabato town mayor nabbed for murder
KORONADAL CITY -- The newly elected mayor of a mining town in South Cotabato was arrested Friday morning on murder charges, police said.
Authorities nabbed Tampakan Mayor Bienvenido Barroso by virtue of an arrest warrant issued by National Capital Region Branch 55 Judge Jose Mendoza.
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Barroso, who was clad in barong, yielded peacefully and was brought to the provincial police headquarters in Koronadal City after his arrest for custody and medical examinations, said South Cotabato police director Robert Kiunisala.
Barroso replaced his father, three-term mayor Claudius Barroso, who rushed to the provincial police office to stand by his son.
Barroso recently expressed support to the huge copper and gold venture pursued by Sagittarius Mines Inc., which is controlled by major global mining firm Xstrata Copper.
The Sagittarius main office is in Tampakan town, about 30 minutes drive from this city, but its exploration activities extend to the neighboring municipalities of Columbio in Sultan Kudarat and Kiblawan in Davao del Sur.
Barroso's uncle, Henry Barroso, was also included in the arrest warrant but police were unable to arrest him. Harry is reportedly hiding in Davao City.
The suspects are accused of killing Claudius's political rival Gregorio Banal in July 2004. Banal challenged the former mayor in the elections that year.
Barroso, who served as municipal administration at that time, was arrested months later in this city, incarcerated in Tampakan town jail for 27 days, but was freed after the local court dismissed the murder charge against him.
Municipal Judge Marie Ellengrid Baliguat on November 26, 2004 ordered the young Barroso dropped from the murder case due to insufficient evidence to establish probable cause.
Barroso told reporters that he and his family "will face the case fair and square and that they're confident his name will be cleared."
No bail was recommended for Barroso, who is to be flown to Manila later Friday afternoon for turnover to the court that issued the arrest warrant, Kiunisala said.
Barroso said the victim's family was able to secure a reconsideration of the case from the Manila court despite a ruling by the Department of Justice saying there's no probable cause to charge him. (BSS/Sun.Star General Santos)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Zamboanga. (July 7, 2007 issue)
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