Saavedra preparing recall petition vs Soc

CEBU - Acting on the challenge of some “desperate” Talisay City residents angry at Mayor Socrates Fernandez’s adopted son Joavan, controversial ASEAN Summit whistleblower Crisologo Saavedra said he is now preparing to initiate a recall against the mayor.

According to Leo Lastimosa’s in his program Arangkada over dyAB, Talisaynons angry with the inaction of the authorities over Joavan called on Saavedra to take the lead in the recall.

Saavedra said in Lastimosa’s program that he is preparing the Petition for Recall against Fernandez which will not immediately unseat him but make him face an election prior to the end of his term.

He said a petition only needs P30,000 to file the Petition for Recall before the Commission on Elections and 12 percent of signatures of the total voting population expressing loss of confidence. It can be filed any day from May until next year.

Fernandez said he is unfazed by the rumored recall petition. 

“Pila ran a sila ka pudyot nga wa mahimot nga nakatabang ang mayor sa mga pobre...si Joavan lang ang ilang gitan-aw. Ang kalapasan sa anak, dili kalapasan sa amahan. Ug nay korte nga mohukom niana,” Fernandez said.

Meanwhile, police confirmed that the latest victim of Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez’ son, Joavan, is not interested to file charges.

Cebu Provincial Police Office chief Sr. Supt. Carmelo Valmoria confirmed that Kashmir dela Cuesta is no longer pursuing any complaint against Joavan.

“Final na na, that was the latest that I got from Sr. Insp. Jovito Canlapan,” Valmoria said, referring to the officer-in-charge of the Talisay City Police Station.

Valmoria said even if De la Cuesta files a complaint now, there is no assurance that he will retract later.

He also refuted allegations that the police are helpless in enforcing the law on Joavan saying that they are only one of the Five Pillars of Criminal Justice System.

“There are people in the prosecution and we did our job, what can we do if there are no complainants or they back off,” Valmoria said.

De la Cuesta, a former job-order employee of the Talisay City Hall and a close aid of Joavan, was alleged hurt and threatened by the latter last week over a woman. The woman was also the same one reported abducted by Joavan but who allegedly went island-hopping with him of her own free will the other month.

Joavan is also now included in the serious illegal detention charges that were filed against five of his accomplices from their supposed involvement in the Aug. 11 abduction and mauling of cousins Osbert and Winston Abellana over a lost tire, which the two allegedly sold.

RTC Branch 22 Judge Manuel Patalinghug said that the amendment of the case has already been filed and that Joavan was already included as among the accused to the two counts of serious illegal detention charges.

Patalinghug said that even if Winston filed an affidavit of desistance the information of the case has already been filed and the complainant should still be made to testify against the accused.

Winston, 18, submitted his affidavit of desistance earlier withdrawing the serious illegal detention case against Joavan.

In his affidavit, Winston admitted he and his cousin, Osbert, 21, took the missing spare tire of Mayor Fernandez and reportedly sold it last August.

As the complainants against Joavan expressed their intent to back out, the Department of Social Welfare and Development-7 is also seeking the release of his two companions from jail.

A clerk at RTC Branch 22 said a DSWD official called the court to convey the agency’s intention last week. The two persons concerned are minors.

And while they are old enough to stand trial in the non-bailable case of serious illegal detention against them, Sec. 23 of the Juvenile Justice Act says they cannot be held without bail.

Talisay City Prosecutor Marshall Rubia earlier recommended no bail for Joavan’s companions Benedeck Gabasa, Mark Perez, Teodoro Ligaray and the two minors “who acted with discernment” in the indictment before the RTC.

While they were charged with Joavan in the original complaint, Rubia indicted them first, as they had all been arrested. — Ferliza C. Contratista, Liv G. Campo and Jasmin R. Uy/BRP (THE FREEMAN)