Barangay captain faces admin, criminal charges

Several administrative and criminal charges were filed against the barangay captain of Tinubdan, Daanbantayan town by his two constituents before the Ombudsman-Visayas.

Marciano Placencia and Tereso Garbo have filed complaints for abuse of authority, harassment, illegal possession of firearms, malicious imputation of crimes and planting of evidence, ignorance of the law, libel and grave oral defamation against barangay captain Juanito Ybañez.

In his complaint, Placencia alleged that in the morning of October 22, he appeared at the barangay hall after he was summoned by the barangay captain and was surprised when Ybañez accused him of being a rebel who provided firearms to Garbo.

Ybañez allegedly shown two firearms that Garbo reportedly surrendered to him, but Placencia strongly denied the allegations and even cried when Ybañez allegedly threatened to arrest and handcuff him.

"Respondent asked me who is my candidate for mayor, who are my political companions," Placencia said in his complaint.

Placencia said that Ybañez offered to settle the matter provided he would relocate to other barangay.

In his separate complaint, Garbo alleged that while waiting for a bus in the morning of October 23, Ybañez approached and handed him summon to sign.

Garbo claimed that Ybañez then pulled out a gun and told him to own it. Garbo added that Ybañez then told him to claim that Placencia gave him the firearm and that he surrendered it to the barangay captain in order for Placencia to be charged.

"I told the barangay captain that I cannot do that, but he insisted that I report to the barangay," Garbo said in his affidavit.

Garbo suspected that Placencia and Ybañez are political foes and the barangay captain wanted the former to appear being a rebel with a firearm.

A letter attached to the complaint dated November 4 and signed by lawyer Braulio Arriola Jr., who assisted the complainants in the filing of their complaints, requested information from Daanbantayan Police Station chief Sr. Insp. Juanito Canlapan on the police action on the Citizen's Report that involved Ybañez.

Arriola learned that after the incident, his client, Placencia, filed a Citizen's Report at the police station informing that Ybañez has possessed firearms without license and that the barangay captain wanted to frame him up as a rebel.

As of press time, it was not learned whether Ybañez has already filed his counter-affidavit before the Ombudsman. - Gregg M. Rubio/LPM