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Bogo ‘had own vigilante gang’
Friday, January 16, 2009
BOGO had its own vigilantes when the town was under former mayor Celestino “Tining” Martinez III. He allegedly called it the “mayor’s squad.”
This was the revelation of Joel Sumabong, who faces a murder charge, when he took the witness stand yesterday.
Martinez has already denied keeping goons or the “mayor’s squad” when Sumabong first made the allegation before the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.
Sumabong has also linked Martinez to the P9.4-million robbery of the Land Bank of the Philippines–Bogo branch.
No case was filed against Martinez.
Case
Sumabong was presented yesterday in a murder case he and Efren Beladas are facing, over the death of Alberto Tepait on May 28, 2005.
But Sumabong said a certain Boy Tagalog is behind the case.
Sumabong claimed he was privy to the plan since he was a close-in bodyguard of Martinez, a claim that Martinez has since denied.
Sumabong said he was hired to be an errand boy of the Martinezes in 2001. Part of the job was to gather people for the 2004 elections.
Assistant Provincial Prosecutor Jose Edwin Renegado objected that this part of the testimony was irrelevant.
Defense lawyer Leilani Trinidad Villarino explained she was merely laying the basis that would lead to Sumabong’s defense that he did not shoot Tepait.
Robbery
Sumabong claimed he was the leader of the mayor’s squad composed of co-accused Beladas, Dindo Ancero, Felix Albores and the group of Boy Tagalog, consisting of four men.
Beladas, Ancero and Sumabong are also facing a robbery in band case for the Land Bank robbery in Bogo.
In May 2005, Sumabong said that a neighbor approached him regarding the problem of Tepait’s wife Imelda, who was allegedly a battered wife.
Sumabong said he advised the neighbor to approach Martinez instead because he could not do anything to help.
Sumabong later learned that Imelda did approach Martinez, who allegedly ordered Tagalog to kill Tepait. It was Sumabong who told Tagalog through a text message that the mayor had an errand for him.
Sumabong described Martinez to be “fascinated” with the vigilantes of Cebu City. “With the many problems in Bogo, he wanted to follow Cebu City,” Sumabong said in Bisaya.
When asked why Tagalog was given the order to shoot Tepait, Sumabong said Martinez believed that he (Sumabong) was too we;;-known as the mayor’s close-in bodyguard to be involved in a murder.
Sumabong denied participation in Tepait’s murder.
When Sumabong’s allegations made headlines in 2005, Martinez said politics was behind it, with some political families out to destroy the Martinez name.
Martinez ran but lost in the May 2007 elections for a congressional seat against Rep. Benhur Salimbangon (Cebu, 4th district). The results of that election are still being disputed at the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal.
(JGA)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here.