MANILA, Philippines – A female councilor in Tarlac City may find herself in trouble for allegedly dating an inmate of the provincial jail in a restaurant last November.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo wrote a letter to Tarlac Gov. Victor Yap detailing the alleged rendezvous between Tarlac City councilor Ana Aguas and inmate Horacio Garces.
In the letter dated Dec. 10, Robredo told Yap that administrative and criminal charges were filed against four jail guards – PG1 Ronaldo Ferrer, PG1 Benigno Yumul, PG1 Efren Garcia and PG1 Bernardo Flores – for the Nov. 30 incident.
Robredo said Ricardo Salas, who acted as driver, was also charged criminally.
He said Garces, who was convicted for estafa, was escorted out of the Tarlac provincial jail by the four jail guards on board an Isuzu Fuego pick-up driven by Salas supposedly for medical treatment at the provincial hospital.
However, Robredo said it was just a ploy as they instead drove straight to Rustica Restaurant in Concepcion, Tarlac where they met Aguas for a “sumptuous dinner.”
Robredo said patrolling policemen spotted the group and during interrogation, the jail guards failed to present any court authorization for Garces to go out of jail.