MISAMIS Oriental Gov. Yevgeny Vincente Emano yesterday appealed to a regional judge to reconsider her order for the transfer of detained Iligan Mayor Celso Regencia to the capitolun provincial jail in Cagayan de Oro.
Emano sent a letter to Judge Marissa Estabaya of the 44th branch of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Initao, Misamis Oriental, opposing the transfer order even as he lashed out at Iligan politicians over what he said was an attempt to bring their political squabbles to Misamis Oriental and Cagayan de Oro.
Emano’s message to Iligan politicians and their supporters: “Don’t bring your political squabbles here in Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental.”
Regencia, although still functioning as Iligan’s mayor, has been in detention in connection with the December 2014 ambush of Rep. Vicente Belmonte Jr. near the Laguindingan airport. Belmonte has accused Regencia of masterminding the attack that left some of his aides dead, an accusation the detained mayor denied.
Emano said he decided to send the letter to Judge Estabaya to register his opposition to Regencia’s transfer after he met and discussed the matter with provincial legal officer Cecille Faelnar and provincial administrator Joy Mateo.
Emano said he recalled that right after the Laguindingan ambush, Rep. Belmonte blamed partisan politics in Iligan for the attempt on his life.
“Kung politika man ang hinungdan, ngano nga dalahigon kita sa ilang kagubot sa politika dinhi sa Cagayan de Oro og Misamis Oriental? Inyu man kanang problema sa politika sa dakbayan sa Iligan, ngano nga dalhon man kana ninyo diri?” Emano asked rhetorically.
Emano said the Iligan prison where Regencia is presently detained is equipped. He also said the Iligan jail is relatively new compared to the Misamis Oriental prison which he said is now considered dilapidated.
“Kung mabalhin dinhi mosamot kagubot ilabi na gyud ang traffic,” Emano said.
Emano said he was inconvenienced, complaining that he had to rush back to the capitol from Metro Manila before the start of the League of Governors’ Convention after he was informed by a lawyer that Regencia would be transferred to provincial jail here anytime soon.
“Gidali ko og uli tungod kay duna na’y transfer order nga migawas. Karon pa unta magsugod ang convention. That’s why we sent an appeal to Judge Estabaya to reconsider our predicament,” he said.
Emano said the Misamis Oriental jail is not prepared to take in a high-profile detainee like Regencia, and provincial guards here are not trained for situations likely to take place in the event that the Iligan mayor is transferred.
“Para lamang ang provincial jail sa 200 ka inmate, and then at present, aduna na kita’y 500 kapin ka piniriso. Dili gyud kaya. Crowded, and it would becoming a security risk for the provincial jail management,” Emano said.
In his appeal to the judge, Emano said the provincial jail is undermanned, and his request to Camp Alagar for an augmentation force has not been approved yet.
Earlier, police regional director Chief Supt. Lyndel Desquitado said Camp Alagar would sent two teams from the Regional Public Safety Battalion to secure the provincial jail in the event that Regencia is transferred from Iligan. (lmr)
