DARAGA, Albay mayor Carlwyn Baldo was transferred to a regular jail cell in Legazpi City after he was discharged from hospital Monday evening, February 4.

Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Bicol Chief Arnold Ardiente said Baldo has been permitted by his doctors to be discharged from the UST Legazpi hospital, where he was rushed after experiencing asthma attack hours after his arrest on January 22 over alleged illegal possession of firearms.

Ardiente said prior to the issuance of the discharge order, he told Baldo that he will be transferred to the Philippine National Police (PNP) General Hospital in Camp Crame.

“He is under our custody, so supposedly, he must be in our PNP hospital. But the attending physician issued a discharge order, meaning he is safe to back to jail,” Ardiente said.

Meantime, Baldo’s legal counsel, Merito Lovenzky Fernandez, said the Daraga mayor is not yet feeling well but was forced to go out of the hospital after Ardiente made him choose to go to jail in Legazpi or be transferred to the PNP general hospital.

“There is no order of discharge from his physician this morning but the information I’ve got is that the CIDG wants mayor Baldo to be put up behind bars at Legazpi City jail. Mayor Baldo was told to choose if he wants to go back to Legazpi City jail or to bring him at Camp Crame PNP hospital in Manila,” he said.

Fernandez said due to security reasons, they cannot let Baldo be transferred in Manila.

“There is a risk, for security reasons, I cannot advise and will not allow that to happen because anything can happen during the transit,” he said.

Baldo was tagged as the mastermind in the killing of AKO-Bicol party-list Representative Rodel Batocabe and his aide Senior Police Officer 4 Orlando Diaz on December 22 in Daraga.

The six suspects who earlier surrendered to police named Baldo as the person who architected Batocabe’s killing after he announced running for the mayoralty position in the town. (SunStar Philippines)