lawyers debate whether mayor is victim or not of injustice

By :Nora Sorino

Iligan City - Two lawyers here over the weekend debated over the question: Is mayor Celso Regencia a victim or not of injustice?
 

Atty. Samson Dajao was on the affirmative side. "Yes."  Atty.  Rejoice Subejano was on the negative side as in  "no he is no a Victim of injustice."  To note mayor Regencia as of press time is at large following the issuance of an arrest warrant by Judge Marissa Estabaya of the Regional Trial Court, Branch 44 at Initao, Mis. Or. who has jurisdiction of the case involving the ambush of Cong. Vicente Belmonte Jr. last Dec ll.  

Three counts of murder and 4 counts of frustrated murder was filed vs. the mayor and 9 others. Dominador Tumala who was found a few days after among the bushes in the vicinity wandering aimlessly is the principal witness. Initially when people first saw him there he was thought to be a person who did not have control of his mental faculties
   

Moderator of said debate was Atty.Ver Quimco who kiddingly referred to it as "sinabligay ug laway" (throwing saliva") between the two. Each lawyer was given ten minutes each 7 for constructive speech and 3 for interpolation by the other.

Dajao a former prosecutor drove home the point in his speech that the issuance of the warrant was done in a hurry. Without due process, he articulated. Panel of prosecutors just decided that there was probable cause to indict the mayor et al.

Subejano on his part questioned Dajao that in order to be considered that there was injustice and that his human rights were violated, was he not given the right to get a lawyer "of his choice"? In the person of Atfy. Orlando Salatandre?
   

Dajao answered in the positive. Therefore no injustice, Subejano concluded and that Belmonte only had a lawyer from the city obviously referring to him (Subejano). He added Salatandre lawyered for Ecleo who was convicted of killing his wife.  And also for Dennis Roldan accused of kidnapping.

Dajao though went on to say that "there were two affidavits submitted by Tumala. Per his info one affidavit had named ano

her person mastermind but in another a later one.  Regencia was already named the mastermind. Subejano said that it was the CIDG who had studied on the matter.

Dajao also brought to the attention the fact that the DILG who was involved in the case was under DILG Sec. Mar Roxas Liberal under which Belmonte belongs. That is why he said the warrant was out fast.  Thereby, saying that no time was given for the motion for consideration on Regencia's side for a motion for reconsideration for judicial determination of probable cause.

 Subejano said it was the CIDG that had gone over the documents and that "there was sufficient time allowed as "it took six months" and that there were 3 clarificatory hearings.
 

 Dajao through all these was poised to rebut all Subejano had said even as Quimco the moderator appealed to Iligan Light and Power to postpone the scheduled 8:00 am brownout as he appealed too to listeners to be "objective" about it.

 At 8:00 am though the power outage occurred and everybody was left hanging as the 2 protagonists including the moderator were silenced.