Tension at city jail worsens, thousands still gather outside jail

By Nora C. Sorino,
Iligan Bureau Chief

Iligan City — Tension rose at the grounds of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology at Tipanoy, early morning yesterday, as supporters of detained mayor Celso Regencia waited for the supposed coming of security forces from outside the city.

At minutes past 6, they did come riding in two 6×6 trucks numbering about 200 even as the local antiiot police here have positioned themselves prominently in the vicinity with their shields on. But the trucks loaded with policemen from Cagayan de Oro City passed the grounds and proceeded to Camp Tomas Cabili, the headquarters of the Central Police Station.

Lawyer Leo Zaragoza, lead counsel for Regencia said that what was scheduled for the day was not the arraignment of the mayor but was to dwell on the Motion to Suspend Hearings even as the province of Misamis Oriental under Gov. Yevgeny Vincente Emano,  was scheduled to submit its Motion for Reconsideration on its Motion for Intervention which it had filed earlier with the Regional Trial Court of Misamis Oriental-Branch 44 presided over by Judge Marissa Estabaya.

Zaragoza, though, proceeded to Initao while lawyers Voltaire Rovira, Demosthenes Plando, Rafael Benedictos remained at the city jail together with the thousands of supporters who gathered there. Lawyer Ver Quimco, of the “Call for Justice” together with others in the said organization were also present. He said that though he is not one of the lawyers of the mayor, the “Call for Justice” had met the day before with the lawyers of the mayor and had decided to be one with them.

At past 7, the police from Cagayan de Oro who had come “to assist” the pull out of the mayor had been engaged in a negotiation with Msgr. Jemar Vera Cruz, Regencia’s running mate, Atty. Rafael Benedictos, Atty. Alipio Cirilo Badelles, former representative here and several others.

It was learned that the police from Cagayan de Oro had orders from a General Aquino.

After more than an hour of negotiations, at around 8:45 the police from Cagayan de Oro backed off. Supporters of the mayor then clapped their hands in gladness over the outcome but Vera Cruz cautioned them not to do so, but to just smile.

To recall, Regencia is detained in connection with the ambush of the convoy of Rep. Vicente Belmonte, Jr. near the Laguindingan airport lasty Dec. 11, 2014.