TALISAY City Mayor Eduardo Gullas denied allegations that he and local officials are plotting to relieve Talisay City Police Chief Emerson Dante from his post following the arrest of Langtad Barangay Captain Mark Ferdinand Bas last Sunday.
Gullas yesterday said he still has trust and confidence in Dante and has no plans of replacing him soon.
Dante earlier claimed that some city officials called him to stop the Provincial Intelligence Branch (PIB) from operating against Bas.
Gullas said Dante may have his reasons why he didn’t inform city officials about the PIB’s plan to operate against Bas.
The mayor said he will leave the barangay captain’s fate to the court, even though the latter and the latter’s father, City Councilor Arturo Bas, are his close allies.
The two belong to the Alayon Part, which Gullas heads.
In a separate interview, Dante thanked Gullas for trusting him.
“Actually, it’s okay if they like me or if they don’t like me. I’m here to do my job, not get their approval,” Dante said in Tagalog.
However, Dante said that Gullas’s trust in him can help raise personnel morale.
Bas allegedly has connections with self-confessed drug lord Franz Sabalones.
During his arrest last Sunday, several firearms were seized from him.
In a related development, Talisay City Prosecutor Marshall Rubia defended Assistant City prosecutor Benjo Luther Macion over accusations that the latter uttered “improper” comments during the inquest on the case filed against Bas.
Maction, Rubia said, was posing “searching questions” to clarify evidence presented by the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) to support their case against Bas.
“That’s the work of a fiscal. We have to ask questions in order for us to determine if the case filed should be raised before the court. It’s very difficult to raise a case to court without any probable cause,” Rubia said in Cebuano.
He also reminded the arresting operatives that they have an obligation to provide sufficient evidence to build a stronger case against Bas.
The CPPO earlier sought legal assistance before Rubia’s office, the Regional State Prosecutor’s Office and the Office of the President due to Macion’s alleged behavior during the inquest.
PIB operatives said Macion implied that they planted a grenade in Bas’s house to justify the charges against him.
CPPO Director Eric Noble reportedly plans to file a motion for inhibition against Macion.