Joavan's driver nabbed anew for traffic violation

CEBU, Philippines – For the second time, the police arrested again the driver and close associate of Joavan Fernandez for traffic violation on Sanciangko Street, Cebu City.

Elements of the Mobile Patrol Group arrested Benedict Gabasa after receiving an alarm about a vehicle going against the traffic on the one-way street. He is on bail for illegal drug charges and driving without license.

Gabasa was allegedly on his way to pick up Joavan, son of Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez, when he was intercepted.

Gabasa, a contractual employee of the Talisay City Hall, was earlier arrested for driving a government vehicle assigned to Joavan without a driver's license. It was reported that Joavan was in the vehicle but was able to disembark before the police came to evade arrest.

When police opened the vehicle, they found illegal paraphernalia inside it.

In the latest incident, Chief Insp. Romeo Santander, head of the City Intelligence Branch of the Cebu City Police Office, said Gabasa failed to show his driver's license when he was apprehended. What the suspect allegedly presented was a student permit and the license of Rosalie Flores, the owner of the Hyundai vehicle.

The police official said they were not able to recover something illegal from the vehicle, which they turned over to the City Traffic Operations Management for impounding.

Santander said they will also check if the same vehicle was involved in the killing of two Koreans early this year. According to him, Flores was one of those who were charged in the killing of the two foreign nationals but she was able to post a bail.

He added they will also investigate the connection of Flores to Gabasa, who is a known close associate of the mayor's son.

Meanwhile, the Talisay City Hall has not renewed the job order contract of Gabasa, who was hired by the city in July year and whose contract was supposed to end December this year.

But a staff member at the Human Resource Management Office (HRMO) said that Gabasa has stopped working for the city since October 1. The source however did not offer reason as to why the said job order worker's contract services were not renewed.

Mayor Fernandez, in an interview with dyAB, also admitted that Gabasa is no longer connected with the city hall.

Usually, a job order worker, which the City Hall has more than 900, has a 15-day contract. Gabasa however was one of those chosen few who have the longest stint at the City Hall. Each of these contractual workers earns P280 per month.

And while most of these more than 900 job order employees work in the city's parks and playgrounds or as garbage collectors, or assistants of the city officials, Gabasa's special and main function at the time of his two-month stint was to assist Joavan in his feeding program.

It was reportedly why, according to the city hall, Gabasa was driving the city's Toyota Revo when it was intercepted by the Pardo police last September, as the said sports utility vehicle was assigned to Joavan for his project.

But according to reports, the said government service vehicle was used to fetch Gabasa's girlfriend in Mango Square in Cebu City. The police chased the car, which reportedly carried Joavan who was accused of pointing a gun at a Cebu City mall that day. - Rey B. Pasaporte of Banat News and Li G. Campo/WAB (FREEMAN)