Acting Misamis Or governor welcomes probe on takeover

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Acting Misamis Oriental Gov. Joaquin Miguel de Jesus has welcomed the call of Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. for a Senate investigation into last Thursday night’s takeover of the provincial farmhouse.

De Jesus said the takeover was done legally, peacefully and in accordance with the law, contrary to Pimentel’s allegations that it was "violent" and "without legal basis."

Pimentel is an ally of suspended Gov. Antonio Calingin, who used the provincial farmhouse as his headquarters following his six-month suspension last year on orders of Malacañang.

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

He said the law enforcers carried out the "siege" despite a court order stopping the Office of the President from enforcing Calingin’s suspension order.

"It was not done haphazardly. There was a legal basis for it as the order came directly from Malacañang and Interior and Local Government Secretary Joey Lina," De Jesus said.

Lina ordered De Jesus to take over the provincial farmhouse in a memorandum coursed through Philippine National Police chief Director General Hermogenes Ebdane Jr.

Ebdane, in turn, directed Chief Superintendent Nicolas Pasinos Jr., Region 10 police director, to enforce Lina’s directive.

De Jesus said the takeover was done peacefully and that neither the police nor his supporters were the ones who started the chaos that ensued.

As the truncheon-wielding policemen entered the farmhouse, he said Calingin’s supporters threw stones and even fire extinguishers at the lawmen and his followers.

Calingin’s legal counsel, lawyer Demosthenes Arbillon, was hurt in the incident. A Calingin supporter, reportedly a barangay chairman, also fell off the stairs during the commotion.

Malacañang suspended Calingin for six months for alleged dishonesty, corruption, grave misconduct and grave abuse of authority in connection with the expansion program of the government-controlled telephone network in Gingoog City.