DAVAO City– The Regional Trial Court (RTC) here has prevented a man accused of tampering electric meter from leaving the country pending termination of the case lodged against him by Davao Light and Power Company (DLPC).
Judge Emmanuel Carpio of RTC Branch 16 issued a hold departure order against accused Romeo Elisan, Jr., who is presently standing trial for violation of Republic Act 7832 or Anti-electricity and Electric Transmission Lines/ Materials Pilferage Act of 1994.
“Given the gravity of the offense charged against Romeo Elisan, Jr., (the) urgent ex-parte motion for issuance of hold departure order is hereby granted,” Carpio said in his ruling dated May 12, 2015.
Carpio directed the Bureau of Immigration and the Department of Foreign Affairs to hold or stop Elisan from leaving the country.
The prosecution panel asked the court to issue a hold departure order against Elisan after he failed to appear during the pre-trial conference on February 5, 2015 and a warrant for his arrest was issued.
The prosecutors asserted that the evidence against Elisan is strong enough to convict him of the offense charged, thus, he should be prevented from fleeing abroad and escape the jurisdiction of the Philippine court.
Elisan was arrested in an entrapment operation conducted by police authorities in coordination with the DLPC on October 2, 2014.
Elisan was caught in the act of breaking the seal of the DLPC electric meter and removing the meter from its base in order to attach a jumper wire that would bypass the metering or interfere in the accuracy of the metering of the electric current to the prejudice of the company.
Recovered from the suspect were several tools used in tampering or removing electric meters.
Elisan had posted bail but Carpio ordered the confiscation of the bail in favor to the government after Elisan failed to attend the scheduled hearing last February.
But recently, Elisan through his lawyer Atty. Rene Alexis Villarente, filed a motion asking for the court’s reconsideration which was also granted by the court.
In his order dated May 12, 2015, Carpio recalled the arrest warrant and reinstated the bail bond posted by Elisan. (PNA)
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