Policeman acts as own counsel, gets court's ire

CEBU - After the court threatened to dismiss his petition for a Writ of Amparo, ex-policemen Marlon Sarmiento finally appeared in yesterday’s hearing of his petition and even waived his right to counsel because he wanted to be his own lawyer. 

But while he managed to act like one at first, Sarmiento eventually fumbled, especially when asked by the court if he wanted to stipulate some facts to abbreviate the proceedings.

He also got the ire of Regional Trial Court Judge Sylva Aguirre-Paderanga when he attempted to give a lecture on the rules of court, which Paderanga said was a waste of time.

“You are wasting the time of this court,” Paderanga told Sarmiento, emphasizing that the petitioner should have engaged the services of a counsel.

“A fool has himself as a lawyer,” Paderanga said.

Paderanga also got irked by Sarmiento’s explanation of his absence last Monday, saying the court only rescheduled the hearing of cases originally scheduled in the morning and not those in the afternoon, among which was Sarmiento’s petition.

Sarmiento had reasoned he was misled by the court calendar, which, according to him, indicated that his hearing last Monday was moved to November 26. 

“You are a law graduate but I cannot fathom your understanding of the court calendar,” Paderanga told Sarmiento.

Sarmiento has filed the petition for a Writ of Amparo in court to seek protection from a supposed assassination plot allegedly initiated by Senior Supt. Jesus Gaquing, Sr., Police Senior Insp. Ceferino Tabay, Jr. and PO3 Andy Nonong of the regional police office.

The three respondents yesterday asked the court to dismiss the petition for lack of merit. – Fred P. Languido/JMO (THE FREEMAN)