CEBU City Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella urged Mayor Tomas Osmeña to set an example of following the law, even as the police prepared to file obstruction of justice and grave abuse of authority complaints against the mayor.
Labella said that if the mayor really wanted to help a few people whom the police arrested last Friday for allegedly refilling butane canisters, he should have found them a lawyer.
Osmeña was unavailable to comment last night.
“Ours is a government of law and not of men. They should submit to legal processes and be investigated. (He can) have them assisted by a counsel,” said Labella, who is a possible contender for the mayorship against Osmeña in the 2019 elections.
Cebu City Police (CCPO) Director Senior Supt. Royina Garma confirmed that the CCPO will press charges against Mayor Osmeña, who allegedly arranged for the release of two persons arrested last Friday night.
“We are building the case now because of what happened last weekend. Two suspects were arrested but I was told by the station commander that they left the office upon the instruction of the mayor. This is not legally correct so we are now investigating the case,” Garma told reporters.
The cases will be for obstruction of justice, grave abuse of authority, and violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
The Department of Energy has repeatedly asked consumers to avoid using canisters refilled with butane gas, as these could explode and start fires. It has raided “butane refilling factories” in Cebu and asked the public for information should they come across such illegal operations.
Garma said she learned in an investigation that the police officers from Parian were “intimidated and scared” when the mayor arrived at the station late Friday night and took custody of the arrested men, who had been arrested at the T. Padilla Public Market.
“Ang mga naiwan dun sa station were the desk officer and the operatives and they got intimidated talaga by what happened,” she said.
“This is the first time in my 23 years in service” that she encountered such an incident, Garma said.
“Di man pwede yan. Saan ka nakakita nang balaod, show me a law that a mayor can take custody of a suspect caught in the act of violating a law? Meron ba (Is there such a law)?” Garma said.
“I-re-release ko lahat ng preso sa lahat ng custody ni mayor kung meron (I would release all the detainees to the mayor’s custody if such a law exists),” she said.
However, Garma said she has not reported to President Rodrigo Duterte anything about the local police force’s relations with the mayor.
“We just had dinner and it was just a casual talk. He (Duterte) just inspired us to continuously work to eradicate illegal drugs in Cebu,” Garma told reporters.
Both the mayor and the police chief attended a program in City Hall yesterday for National Heroes Day.
Osmeña has been criticizing the police recently over a rash of killings in the city, particularly what he described as a foiled ambush on Tejero Barangay Councilor Jessielou Cadungog, in which a police officer was shot.
Aside from the illegal drugs situation, the police chief said she only told the President about what CCPO needs.
“I will just do my job as a police officer. I will not do his (the mayor’s) job. If I have to liaison with LGU (the local government unit), if needed, I will really do it,” Garma said. (RVC, JOB)