Belciña posts bail, denies he is hiding

Contrary to reports that he is hiding to elude arrest, Fr. Jose "Joey" Belciña showed up yesterday to post a P200,000 bail bond to nullify his standing warrant of arrest after a child abuse charge was filed against him.

Accompanied by his lawyer Gloria Lastimosa-Dalwampu, Belciña posted his bail before Regional Trial Court Branch 15 judge Fortunato de Gracia Jr.

Dalawampu said their move was to disprove rumors that Belciña was hiding, and that he has no cause to do so as his case was bailable, although she never revealed where Belciña was since his arrest warrant was issued last Tuesday, the same day the information of his case was filed.

Belciña also filed yesterday his motion for reconsideration to the resolution, which stated that the charge has "no basis." The investigating panel composed of assistant Cebu City prosecutors Fernando Gubalane, Edgardo Montenegro and Lineth Lapinid earlier resolved to dismiss the three counts of rape filed against Belciña by an 18-year-old girl.

Dalawampu said her client was not accorded respect by the Danao City Prosecutor's Office when it filed the information of the case even before they could receive the copy of the resolution. It was only on Wednesday, a day after the arrest warrant was issued, when they received it.

"Wa taw'y kalibutan akong kliyente nga galakaw-lakaw nga naa diay warrant of arrest," Dalawampu said, while adding that they were supposed to be given 10 days to act on the resolution.

"Abusar sa ilang prosecution. Dakong pag-abuso," Dalawampu said of the Danao City Prosecutor's Office, headed by prosecutor Jose Dionisio Kyamko.

Dalawampu said she is set to file an action on Kyamko's alleged abuse of authority soon. She said she was right when she suspected that Kyamko would file the case in court before the preliminary investigation is held.

With this in mind, she filed a motion for inhibition against Kyamko before Regional State Prosecutor Antonio Arellano, who granted it and allowed for the transfer to Cebu City, thus, the Cebu City Assistant Prosecutors' three-man investigating panel.

Meanwhile, Belciña, Dalawampu said, will be staying in the Archbishop's Palace after he was removed from the Danao Parish. - Jasmin R. Uy and Liv G. Campo