POLICE filed criminal charges against San Francisco, Camotes Mayor Aly Arquillano and Vice Mayor Alfredo Arquillano Jr. in a court in Danao City on Monday morning, April 8.
The two officials were charged with violating Republic Act (RA) 9516 for illegal possession of explosives and RA 10591 for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
According to the joint judicial affidavit of the arresting officers, they seized a magazine and bullets of a .45 pistol, 9mm bullets, a .22 long rifle and magazine, an AR 15 rifle and magazine, 68 empty shells of a .45 pistol and 50 empty shells of a .45 pistol from the houses of the Arquillanos in Barangay Poblacion last Thursday, April 4. They found the grenade inside the mayor’s room.
The cases were raffled to the sala of Danao City Regional Trial Court Branch 25 Judge Jerry Dicdican.
Last Monday afternoon, Aly and Alfredo appeared before the judge as the latter listened to the ex-parte motion filed by Meinrado Paredes, a retired judge and lead counsel of the accused, and Edmund Lao, lawyer for the Barug Para sa Kauswagan ug Demokrasya (Bakud) party. The Arquillanos are Bakud members.
Dicdican agreed to the lawyers’ request to move the Arquillanos to the Danao City Jail.
Lao said detaining the Arquillanos in Danao instead of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) in Cebu City was much more practical and cheaper and would provide his clients a speedy trial.
The judge said he was also aware that the provincial jail was not accepting new detainees.
“Taking into consideration the accused’s argument and CPDRC’s predicament, the instant motion being meritorious is hereby granted,” Dicdican said.
The Arquillano camp also filed a motion seeking the court’s approval to post bail. The court, though, will only decide after the prosecution submits its opposition to the motion, which may be on Wednesday, April 10, Lao said.
After the hearing, the Arquillanos were taken to the Danao City Jail in Barangay Dunggoan. (From SCG of SuperBalita Cebu, KAL)