Aaron Neri avoids being thrown in jail despite arrest

By Nitz Arancon

POLICE served an arrest warrant against former city councilor Aaron Neri in connection with a case filed by the barangay secretary of Macasandig but he quickly bailed out on Tuesday, this paper confirmed over the weekend.

Neri, a former president and representative of the local Association of Barangay Councils to the city council, posted a P6-thousand bailbond. He also avoided being thown in jail because he was in the hospital when he was placed uner arrest.

Neri, a barangay councilor in Macasandig now, was charged with grave oral defamation by barangay executive secretary Rey Ranes Balandra, resulting in the issuance of an arrest warrant signed by Judge Eleuteria Algodon of the Municipal Trial Court Branch 2 here.

Police served the warrant to Neri while he was confined at Maria Reyna Hospital.

“Maayo kaayo akong tulog sa hospital kay na-a goy police nga nagbantay sa ako,” Neri said.

After being discharged the following day, Neri rushed to the court to bail out.

Neri said the case was filed as Balandra’s way of getting back at him because he (Neri) was among those who charged the barangay secretary, Macasandig barangay chairman Ernesto Edrote, and barangay treasurer Ma. Fe Campanilla with grave misconduct before the ombudsman.

Neri has accused the three village officials of conspiring to buy some P40 thousand of construction materials from a store that belongs to Balandra’s family.

Balandra, for his part, said he sued Neri because he was scandalized and humiliated by the former city councilor during a barangay assembly in Macasandig in April.

The Office of the Ombudsman has dimissed the three barangay officials, and directed Mayor Oscar Moreno to implement its order.

Neri, incidentally, is a candidate for city councilor of the Centrist Democratic Party (CDP). (nitz arancon)