Carillo denies intervening in raid against fake cream

Cebu City councilor Gerardo Carillo denied allegations that he intervened in a raid by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-7 against fake beauty creams allegedly sold in boutiques inside a mall along Colon Street last Friday.

Carillo, who is the lawyer of John Sanchez, one of the boutique owners, said there was no arrest since the search warrant did not name a specific person but only the product that was suspected of being fake.

He said that since the police confiscated suspected Top Gel Pearl Creams from his client's store it must be proven that these were indeed fakes. He said his client is also a victim since he has no way of determining if he bought the original products.

Carillo said he went to the said mall when his client called him regarding the police search in the neighboring stores and his.

He said that being the legal counsel of his client, he looked at the search warrant issued by Regional Trial Court Branch 11 Judge Ramon Daomillas to see what the search was all about and explained it to his client.

"I am a lawyer, I am supposed to explain to my client on what the document said," Carillo said, adding that after he did he left the area.

Carillo said that if the police will file charges on his client they will face it in normal procedure.

CIDG-7 deputy regional director Jacob Macabali said they will file charges against Sanchez and two others identified as Ben Dy and Ke Gingy, who were reportedly seen supervising the operation of the stores they raided.

Macabali said that Carillo claimed that Dy and Gingy were just visiting the stores and had nothing to do with the fake beauty creams, conflicting with claims of the raiding police who reportedly saw them operating the cash registers and selling the products.

The official added that they tried to arrest the three but Carillo promised to bring them to their office later.

He said that a certain Hanifah made him answer a cellular phone and Carillo was on the other line telling him that he himself will bring them to the CIDG office, being the legal counsel of one of the suspects.

But SPO1 Delfin Bontuyan, who was tasked to wait for Carillo and the three suspects, said the councilor did not arrive as he promised.

Carillo claimed he visited the CIDG office last Friday night but the said office was closed and decided to come in the morning but was told the CIDG men were out because of a sports activity.

Bontuyan told the media that he waited for Carillo that Friday evening until 8 a.m. the next day but Carillo never came.

The Top Gel Pearl Cream is exclusively distributed by CS Trading. The fake product packed by illegal manufacturers did not bear the manufacturer's name, the distributor and the Bureau of Food and Drugs approval. - Edwin Ian Melecio