Sesbreño given police escorts as parties exchange legal charges

CEBU, Philippines - Charges for resisting arrest and trespassing were filed yesterday at the Talisay City Prosecutor’s Office against the six Alimaong tribe members.

On top of that, the Talisay City Police is also set to charge them with disobedience for resisting their invite for questioning last Sunday.

A separate case for illegal possession of firearm against the nephew of lawyer Raul Sesbreño was also filed by the Talisay City police.

Arrested members of the indigenous groups were Bernardino Nipa, 44, of Barangay Guindaruhan, Minglanilla; Benjamin Aleonar, 57, of Barangay Cogon, Lorenzo Barazon Jr., 40, of Barangay Upper Cogon, Ramon Eldon Noel, 63, of Sitio Cogon, Barangay Camomot, all of Carcar City ; Ricardo Plariza, 55, Upper Inayawan, Cebu City, and Rissah Amahan, 37, of Barangay Lawaan II, Talisay City.

They are temporarily detained at the Talisay City Jail while SFO1 Ramiro Sesbreño is temporarily detained at the Minglanilla stockade. He was arrested for having in his possession a caliber .45 pistol loaded with eight ammunitions. He did not have a permit to carry.

But the Sesbreños are not happy at how the Talisay City police is handling the case.

The lawyer’s son, Peter Sesbreño, claims that the policemen are favoring the Alimaong and sees “unfair” treatment over the arrest.

Peter said that Supt. Eddie Recamara, Talisay police chief, was even one of the suspects in the ambush last February which killed her mother, Virginia. He further claimed that they are preparing almost 10 charges against Recamara and had discussed the matter with Police Chief General Nicanor Bartolome.

For his part, Recamara said they have given the two parties equal treatment.

Meanwhile, at least two policemen from the Talisay City Police Station now serve as police escorts of Atty. Raul Sesbreño, who asked for them due to threats he received recently.

Sesbreño is the owner of the controversial parcel of lot in Barangay Lawaan II, in Talisay City which has been a source of commotion. He said it was not the first time he received threats. Even before his wife died, he added, somebody already wanted to kill his immediate family members.  

Amid accusations of unfair treatment, Sr. Supt. Patrocinio Comendador, director of the Cebu Provincial Police Office, said he trusts his personnel and gives them discretion on making arrests.

“They are just doing their job to neutralize the situation and I cannot encroach unless there is abuse of power,” Comendador said in a press conference yesterday.

Recamara said they will file more cases against the group before the city prosecution office within this week.

Recamara said Atty. Sesbreño had already submitted to them his sworn affidavit for grave coercion, threat and other form of trespass complaints against the suspects to be submitted by the police within this week.

As this developed, the Alima-ong members threaten to slap Recamara with a case for detaining them for more than 24 hours. The police chief, however, said he would face it in court.

The arrested Alima-ong members, for their part, said that the area where they erected their structures were not covered by the demolition order issued by the court early this year. They said what they did was in view of the Republic Act 8371 or The Indigenous Peoples Right Act of 1997. —(FREEMAN)