Caloocan village chief jailed for physical injury

A Caloocan City barangay chairman is now serving a 20-day jail sentence for conviction of slight physical injury charges.

Emmanuel Cruz, 42, chairman of Barangay 79 in Caloocan City, is on his ninth day today at the congested local prison facility.

In August Judge Alma Crispina Collado-Lacorte of the Caloocan Municipal Trial Court Branch 51, found Cruz guilty of slight physical injury charges and meted him 20-day imprisonment. His jail term will end on Oct. 13.

“I think my sentence is excessive for instead of a penalty of only P200, the judge decided to send me to jail,” Cruz told The STAR. He said that he is planning to question the ruling before the Department of Justice.

Cruz said that sometime in 2000, Remedios Carino filed slight physical injury charges against him when he intervened in a commotion in his barangay. “I held both Cariño’s hands to restrain her from making a scene inside the barangay hall and that allegedly caused her injuries,” Cruz said.

Cruz said that being a barangay official for 19 years, serving as councilman and chairman of Barangay 79, he understands the vulnerability of his position to charges but could not figure out “how the judge came out with such a verdict eight years after the case was filed” against him.

Caloocan City Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) warden Superintendent Lyndon Torres said Cruz could have availed himself of his right to “probation” if he wanted to. “It’s a constitutional right of every convicted individual sentenced to six years and below to avail of such probation wherein he no longer need to serve a jail sentence on certain conditions,” Torres said.

Cruz, however, said he preferred to serve his sentence “for it would take a lot of sacrifice” once he would appeal the decision.