Arcenio claims he is a "victim of crossfire"

CEBU, Philippines - The former mayor of Lezo, Aklan, CPDRC inmate Alfredo Arcenio, denied the allegations that he was given special treatment by the jail guards.

“There is no special treatment… There was a misunderstanding between the jail guard and the jail warden,” he said in Tagalog.

Arcenio is detained at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) after his murder case for the death of a broadcaster was transferred from Aklan to Cebu sometime in March 2008.

He is accused of killing Bombo Radyo Kalibo station manager Herson Hinolan on November 13, 2004 in Kalibo. Hinolan died two days after the incident while being treated in a local hospital after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds. He was reportedly out with friends during the incident.

Meanwhile, the Province of Cebu moved for the transfer of Arcenio from CPDRC to Cebu City Jail by filing a motion.

Lawyer Ritchie Capahi told the media “there was no order issued by the Regional Trial Court (RTC) that specifically directs the accused to be committed in the CPDRC.”

However, such statement made by Capahi was opposed by lawyer Eduardo Arriba of the defense.

“On May 26, 2008, Judge Paderanga issued an order directing the accused to be detained at CPDRC or Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) now Cebu City Jail,” he stressed.

Arriba compared the issues of transferring detention to a football game.

“Kawawa naman ang client ko. First the Supreme Court changed the venue of trying the case from Aklan to Cebu then now the issue of transferring my client from CPDRC to another detention is undue harassment…My client enjoys the presumption of innocence,” he said.

Judge Sylvia Paderanga of RTC Branch 16 said the place of detention doesn’t matter anyway.

Arcenio said eating in a restaurant after the hearing was out of humanitarian reason. On the issue of having a party inside the CPDRC, Arcenio clarified that his relatives brought him food as a surprise for his birthday. “Nakakalimutan ko nga birthday ko pala (I forgot it was my birthday).

He said he is a victim of crossfire between the jail warden and the jail guards. He added that he has no political connections in Cebu. Arcenio said he cannot blame Governor Gwendolyn Garcia for moving for his transfer but he stressed he has done nothing wrong. He described CPDRC as a good place for rehabilitation and he prefers to be detained there than any other jail. — (FREEMAN)