Legacy owner arrested in hospital

MANILA, Philippines - Police arrested controversial Legacy Group owner Celso de los Angeles at the St. Luke’s Medical Center yesterday afternoon for syndicated estafa charges filed in Cagayan de Oro province.

Members of the police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) led by Superintendent Noli Romana went to St. Luke’s to serve the warrant of arrest, which was issued by Cagayan de Oro Regional Trial Court Branch 17 Judge Florencia Sealana-Abbu last July 8.

According to Romana, chief of the CIDG-Intelligence and Special Operations Division (ISOD), De los Angeles was informed about the standing arrest order at around 4:30 p.m. yesterday. 

The police officers placed De los Angeles, mayor of Sto. Domingo, Albay, under “hospital arrest” at his ward.

“Technically he is under arrest and he is facing a non-bailable charge,” said Romana, adding that they were given 10 days by the court to serve the warrant.

In another interview, Romana said De los Angeles was taken to the St. Luke’s Hospital at around 5:30 p.m. last Sunday due to various ailments and is also undergoing chemotherapy sessions for cancer of the tonsils.

Romana said De los Angeles could not be taken to the CIDG headquarters in Camp Crame in Quezon City yet because the mayor’s doctor maintained that his client has to stay in the hospital for at least 20 days.

The police might wait until the 20-day medical treatment on De los Angeles is over before they could bring him to the court which ordered his arrest, although Romana said Camp Crame will be sending its own doctor to St. Luke’s to confer with De los Angeles’ doctor.

Only after the assessment of the Camp Crame doctor is made will De los Angeles be moved to Cagayan de Oro, he said.

As supervising agent, Romana said he would detail at least three police officers on eight-hour shifts outisde De los Angeles’ room.

De los Angeles was earlier summoned by the Senate for failing to deliver on his promise to clients of his Legacy pre-need firms, including Legacy Consolidated Plans Inc., Scholarship Plan Philippines Inc. and All Asia Plans Corp.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) ordered Legacy’s 13 rural banks closed just before Christmas last year for being insolvent and for engaging in unsafe and unsound practices.

The rural banks have a combined P14.03 billion in insured deposits in 132,642 bank accounts.

Legacy’s pre-need firms, which have some 50,000 planholders, have also ceased operations. —Cecille Suerte Felipe, Mike Frialde