Rama tells city legal office to probe Fuente 'mauling'

CEBU, Philippines – Acting Mayor Michael Rama formally turned over to the city legal office yesterday the official reports of the police and of the traffic investigators on the reported mauling of a traffic violator and ordered that the investigation be completed within a week.

After reading the reports of the City Traffic Operations Management and Cebu City police director Patrocinio Comendador, Rama quickly said there is a need that the reported mauling of Freddie Teopez should be looked into by requiring both parties to either present proofs of their claims.

Rama confirmed that the investigation reports that he received are in conflict with each other. One of them said that it was the tow vehicle which rammed the motorcycle driven by Teopez, while the other report quoting Teopez said that it was the motorcycle that hit the rear portion of the tow truck.

The acting mayor, who was instructed by Mayor on-leave Tomas Osmeña to handle the issue, said the case should be properly looked into by the city legal office without bias, because it involves the city being the one that hired the private towing company through the CITOM.

Meanwhile, Efren Navales of the One-Stop Towing Services said they are scheduled to file a case against Teopez before the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office today.

“Gitun-an pa sa among mga abogado kon unsa ang mga kaso nga ipasaka namo ni Teopez. Basta dili tinuod nga ang among towing vehicle maoy mibangga sa motor,” Navales said.

Rama said before the session of the City Council this afternoon, he plans to attend the regular caucus of the city councilors to bring up to them the issue about how the contractors are implementing the city’s towing ordinance.

He said the City Council should take action about the controversial issue because he is afraid that it will trigger more grave offenses in the future.

It was learned that Teopez was spotted by personnel of the towing firm to be without a helmet while driving his motorcycle at Escario Street. He reportedly refused to stop when he was flagged down prompting the chase that ended at Fuente Osmeña. 

Navales also denied the report that he mauled Teopez when they caught him. – Rene U. Borromeo/NLQ (THE FREEMAN)