Galua plans to run for mayoral post of hometown

By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent

DETAINED architect Rey Galua, the “prime person of interest” in the investigation into the Dec. 2, 2017 murder of University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines president Ricardo Rotoras, wants to become mayor.

This was confirmed by Galua’s lawyer, Arturo Ubaub, even as he explained why the architect took his oath as a member of the administration PDP-Laban on Dec. 7, 2017.

According to Ubaub, Galua’s plan is to run for mayor of his hometown Kicharao, Agusan del Norte against Mayor Aristotle  Montante of the Nacionalista Party.

Ubaub said this explains why Galua was with Agusan del Norte  Gov. Ma. Angelica Rosedel Amante-Matba, and Buenavista town mayor Norbert  Pagaspas in Marikina in Dec. 7 last year.

Ubaub has used the PDP-Laban oath-taking in Marikina as his basis in accusing the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group of “lying” and of “misleading” a Gingoog-based court into issuing a search warrant against the architect.

The search warrant was used by the police as its basis in raiding Galua’s house in uptown Cagayan de Oro where they seized a cache of firearms and explosives in Jan. 9.

Matba and Pagaspas have executed affidavits to corroborate Galua’s claim that he took his oath as PDP-Laban before Senate President Aquilino Martin Pimentel III in Marikina on Dec. 7, 2017. It was the same day CIDG officers claimed to have been invited for coffee by Galua in his house where he supposedly showed them his guns.

Ubaub said the CIDG lied about the date to convince a judge to issue a search warrant.

Since last week, Galua has been detained at the city jail in Lumbia, awaiting trial for illegal arms and explosives possession.

The architect’s involvement in a controversial unfinished P200-million building construction project at the USTP and his being a former subordinate of Dr. Rotoras made him end up in the investigators’ list of  “persons of interest.”