Fire marshal asks court to stop suspension

Cebu City fire marshal Esmael Codilla has asked the court to issue a temporary restraining order to stop the implementation of the preventive suspension order issued against him set to take effect this September 1.

Likewise, Codilla also requested the court that after due notice and hearing be made of his TRO, a permanent writ of preliminary injunction be issued ordering the Bureau of Fire Protection through its chief Enrique Linsangan against enforcing his preventive suspension without pay for 90 days.

“The charge of grave misconduct is a byproduct of an unfiltered, random and biased investigative work by the fact-finding committee constituted by the BFP Chief upon the request of then BFP regional director S/Supt. Eleuterio Ituriaga,” Codilla said.

Codilla was issued preventive suspension for his alleged failure to account for massive debts to a gasoline station.

The investigation sprang from a complaint filed by Iturriaga, who was surprised to find that the Cebu City Fire Station owed a gas station P433,560.95 in gas bills.

The amount represented fuel consumption from 2005 to February 2007. — Jasmin R. Uy/BRP