CIDG denies arrest warrant served was for mayoralty bet

CEBU, Philippines - The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) has admitted going into the compound of businessman and mayoralty candidate Leodegario Labao at Brgy. Balijuagan in Roxas City last Monday morning to serve an arrest warrant but denied it was intended for him.

Chief Insp. Joey Yape, CIDG-Capiz provincial chief, clarified that four CIDG men went to Labao’s compound to serve the arrest warrant against a certain Harold Salar for frustrated murder, under Criminal Case 125807.

The arrest warrant was issued by Judge Antonio Amular of RTC Branch 21 of Mambusao, Capiz dated Jan. 28, 2013. “Ang nakalagay dun sa arrest warrant ay ang sinasabing compound ni Mr. Labao,” Yape said, adding that Salar was Labao’s employee in the latter’s construction business.

In a police blotter, security guards Eduardo Matias and Wilard Burado stated that the “armed men” (the four CIDG men) presented the arrest warrant to them, but they failed to show IDs to prove they were CIDG personnel.

However, Yape insisted his men let the guards read the arrest warrant. “They identified themselves as CIDG personnel and presented necessary documents. They even wrote on the visitor’s slip para may clearance sila na makapasok,” but the guards would not let them in to search the house, he said.

Yape further said footage from the compound’s CCTV could show that the CIDG men had no bad motive in going there, but he said his agency decides to defer the serving of the warrant for now. “But we will be back. If we prove they were hiding something, then we would run after them for obstruction of justice,” Yape warned.

Labao, for his part, was tagged as the mastermind in the killing of Vice Mayor Abel Martinez of Mambusao, Capiz on May 4, last year.

According to Sr. Supt. Domingo Cabillan, the police have not received any copy of an arrest warrant against Labao, who had still until yesterday to submit his counter-affidavit on the charges lodged against him. —(FREEMAN)