Police ‘siege’ of Misamis governor’s office probed

Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. has asked the Senate to investigate what he described as the "illegal siege" by policemen of the office of Misamis Oriental Gov. Antonio Calingin last Thursday night.

In a privilege speech the other day, Pimentel said the police used "brute force" in evicting Calingin’s officials and employees from the offices of the governor and the provincial administrator at the provincial farmhouse in Cagayan de Oro City.

He said the law enforcers carried out the "siege" despite a court order stopping the Office of the President from implementing the order suspending Calingin.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jose Lina issued the eviction order, he said.

Pimentel said Chief Superintendent Nicolas Pasinos, Region 10 police director, reportedly hang up the phone when Calingin, who was in Manila during the eviction, called him up to explain that the eviction order had no legal basis.

He said the police used excessive force when they stormed the provincial farmhouse, allegedly using a dump truck to ram through the gate, lobbing tear gas inside the building and bodily carrying provincial administrator Michelle Anayron, provincial attorney Demosthenes Arbillon and provincial board member Alejo Olano out of the building.

"We would to like to ask that this matter be looked into by the appropriate committees, especially because there is a tendency in Cagayan de Oro now for officials to act arbitrarily," Pimentel said.

Senate President Franklin Drilon directed the Senate committees on public order and illegal drugs as well as local government, both chaired by Sen. Robert Barbers, and the electoral reforms and suffrage committee, headed by Sen. Edgardo Angara, to investigate the incident.