Osmeña opens home for Tejero dad’s driver

SINCE the driver-bodyguard of Tejero Barangay Councilor Jessielou Cadungog is fearing for his life, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña is opening his home for him and his family.

William Macaslang survived an alleged attempted assassination last July.

“William is terrified for his life. After being released from the custody of the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation), who for the past month thankfully refused to hand him over to the police, he has nowhere safe to go. So I told him he and his family can sleep in my house. He has to go to court today (Aug. 31) to answer the charges. I told him I will go with him. Today, I am his bodyguard. William is a nobody. He has no one to stand for him so I will,” reads a portion of Osmeña’s post in his Facebook page yesterday.

The mayor also uploaded a photo of him and Macaslang about to have breakfast at Osmeña’s home. Another photo showed Macaslang praying before an altar.

The prosecution, however, in the criminal cases against Macaslang wants the Office of the Cebu City Prosecutor to revisit its resolution indicting him of homicide and attempted homicide.

Private prosecutor Inocencio dela Cerna filed a motion asking Judge Anacleto Debalucos to direct the prosecutors to conduct a reinvestigation.

He said they have witnesses who could prove that Macaslang and Cadungog conspired to kill PO3 Eugene Calumba last July 31.

The lawyer said the defense wants the prosecutors to indict Macaslang and Cadungog of murder and frustrated murder.

“We believed that the evidence substantial enough was not appreciated. So we are asking to revisit the case and look into the very vital witness because over and above the CCTV, there is an eye witness--a child who was there. We are surprised why resolution was rushed,” dela Cerna told reporters.

Debalucos of the Regional Trial Court Branch 17 moved Macaslang’s arraignment yesterday to Nov. 9, pending the resolution of the defense’ motion for reinvestigation.

The panel of prosecutors earlier found evidence to charge Macaslang with homicide for Calumba’s death.

They also charged Macaslang with attempted homicide for shooting Michael Banua, the police asset who drove the motorcycle that Calumba was riding.

However, the three-man panel prosecutor dismissed for lack of evidence the murder and frustrated murder against Cadungog.

The prosecutors did not give weight to the police’s allegations that Cadungog was with Macaslang inside his vehicle during the shooting, said defense lawyer Benjamin Militar.

Militar had also said they have enough evidence to prove in court that what Macaslang did was merely self-defense.

The case stemmed from the murder and frustrated murder complaints that the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group 7 lodged against Cadungog and Macaslang.

Cadungog and Macaslang also filed attempted murder and illegal gun possession against Banua before the Office of the Cebu City Prosecutor last Aug. 3. (GMD/RTF)

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