Councilman arrested for mauling court clerk

CEBU, Philippines - A barangay councilman who is also teaching in a university was arrested after he allegedly mauled and threatened to kill a clerk of court last Wednesday night in Barangay Banilad, Cebu City because of jealousy.

Police arrested 29-year-old John Lezly Codoy, councilman of Casuntingan, Mandaue City, and his two cohorts George Paner, 32, and Noel Torno, 22, for mauling Anshanor Bara-acal, a clerk of court of the Regional Trial Court Branch 8.

Chief Insp. George Ylanan who heads the Regional Special Operations Group (RSOG) 7 that arrested the suspects said Codoy was jealous with Bara-acal.

Bara-acal confirmed this, disclosing that his girlfriend, who stopped contacting him since March, is a live-in-partner of Codoy.

He didn’t know this set-up until last Sunday though, Bara-acal said.

He narrated that early last Sunday, he suddenly received a text message from his “girlfriend”, who was telling him to meet her in Barangay Casuntingan, Mandaue City and accompany her to a family gathering.

Bara-acal proceeded to the area but instead of meeting his girlfriend, Codoy met him and punched him several times at the suspect’s house.

Paner, Torno, and three other unidentified men helped maul the victim.

“Gi-threaten ko niya (Codoy) na patyon ko niya,” Bara-acal further narrated.

Good thing his parents arrived and rescued him, or he may have been dead by now, he said.

Bara-acal said he didn’t know that his girlfriend has been with Codoy since January.

“Ang akong uyab, kapuyo daw niya. Break na man daw sila ingon ang uyab nako. Nagselos si John sa ako,” he said. He didn’t know how Codoy got his girlfriend’s mobile phone though.

His girlfriend allegedly later asked apology from him for dragging him in the situation.

Ylanan said they conducted a follow up operation and arrested Codoy at 5 p.m. last Wednesday at the parking lot of the university he was working.

Paner and Torno were arrested at their respective residence in Barangay Casuntingan while the three other assailants are still being hunted down.

Seized from Paner were three firearms, a cal. 45 pistol, a cal. 357 revolver, and an Ingram Submachine gun, assorted ammunitions from different firearm calibers, and a knife.

Torno, in an interview over GMA Balitang Bisdak, admitted also mauling the victim, saying his friend Codoy might have been triggered by love triangle. Codoy refused to be interviewed.

Ylanan said charges for frustrated murder, kidnapping and serious illegal detention, grave coercion, serious physical injuries, robbery, illegal possession of firearms and gun ban violation will be filed against the suspects. — /JPM (FREEMAN)