Seven arrested for sedition raps

BAYBAY CITY , Philippines   â€” Seven people were rounded up by the police yesterday morning for alleged sedition, on the strength of arrest warrants issued by Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Carlos Arguelles against 17 accused involved in a protest rally at the City Hall that turned violent after the May 13 elections.

Arrested were Johndy Dingal, Oscar Balan, Vic Bacusmo, Noel Suarez, Nicanor Baledio, Allan Sotto and Edcel Gonzaga. They were alleged supporters of then mayoralty candidate Marilou "Malot" Galenzoga, who was also included in the warrant.

Galenzoga, along with former councilor Agustin Alo, former radio commentator Alvin Truya, vice-mayoralty candidate Al Relevo, Elenita "Bebe" Datahan, Jose "Yoyoy" Cala, Michelle Esperanza, Marilou Arradaza, Milagros Galenzoga and Dennis Arradaza, were still at large as of press time.

Dinggal, one of those arrested, said he did not want to comment on their arrests but added that they thought the sedition complaint against them was already "dismissed" by Regional State Prosecutor Ruperto Golong. He was on his way to Ormoc City that morning when police came and arrested him.

Yesterday, all the arrested persons were processing their bail, which was pegged by Assistant City Prosecutor Regidor Molon at P 16,000 each.

Molon, in his resolution, said the accused "individually and collectively conceived the idea of inflicting acts of hate and of revenge towards duly elected officials and other public officials and employees and against the property of the City of Baybay" amounting to an estimated P1.5-million.

The complaint is now filed at the RTC-Baybay City, headed by Judge Arguelles.

The sedition charge, filed by City Mayor Carmen Cari, was the aftermath of a protest rally on June 30 when Galenzoga's supporters, after coming out of a thanksgiving mass in a nearby church, barged into the barricade of the City Hall, resulting in the mauling and stone throwing between the protesters and the police with Cari's supporters.

Cari submitted as evidence footage on video cameras and CCTVs showing the alleged acts of the accused that allegedly incited Galenzoga's supporters to attack authorities and government buildings. A newly purchased police e-car was overturned and destroyed.

The riot was an offshoot to the protests of the residents against the proclamation of Cari as the elected mayor, and that they claimed to have been mauled first by the police prompting them to fight back. Scores of people from both sides were injured.

City officials have not touched the overturned police car to this day, as a reminder to Baybayanons of that "day of infamy," as Mayor Cari described it.

The mayor, in an interview after the incident, said she could not fathom how people who "claim to love Baybay can do this … to do acts of violence to the city." (FREEMAN)