The Court of Appeals has been asked to grant bail for the temporary freedom of six provincial officials of Ilocos Norte currently detained at the House of Representatives.
The detained Ilocos Norte officials through veteran lawyer and former solicitor general Estelito Mendoza, asked the CA’s Fourth Division to issue an order granting them provisional bail after the House ignored the writ of habeas corpus and show cause order earlier issued by the appellate court.
The appellate court earlier ordered House sergeant-at-arms Roland Detabali to present before the CA the six petitioners who have been detained since May 29 after being cited in contempt by the House committee on good government and public accountability during its probe into the alleged misuse of P66.45 million in tobacco funds to buy motor vehicles.
When Detabali failed to comply with the order after two hearings, the CA also issued a show cause order for Detabali to explain why he should not be cited in contempt of court as sought by petitioners.
“Notwithstanding orders of this Honorable Court, the respondent has not produced before the Court the persons of the petitioners,” the motion stated.
“The contempt order has been applied to indefinitely detain the petitioners since the members of the House committee on good government and public accountability are requiring an answer satisfactory to them,” it said.
Petitioners also said that they were being subjected to “continuous torture” through their “indefinite detention in degrading conditions and direct assaults on their dignity as human persons and blatant violations of their rights.”
The six petitioner are Pedro Agcaoili, Provincial Planning and Development Office chairperson; Josephine Calajate, provincial treasurer; Eden Battulayan, Provincial Treasurer’s Office staff; Encarnacion Gaor, Provincial Treasurer’s Office staff; Genedine Jambaro, Provincial Treasurer’s Office staff; and Evangeline Tabulog, provincial budget officer.
They alleged that their detention is baseless because they have answered questions of lawmakers during the hearing.
During the hearing, Ilocos Norte 1st District Representative and Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas presented documents bearing the signatures of the said officials that were used to buy mini-cabs, secondhand buses, and Foton trucks. The six Ilocos Norte officials all claimed that they cannot remember the purchases anymore given the many transactions they have processed and also refused to comment on the documents and asked the committee to show them the original copies.
Fariñas said there was a “clear conspiracy” to cover up the alleged misuse of tobacco funds in Ilocos Norte.
Fariñas, political rivals of the Marcoses, initiated the House investigation after obtaining checks for cash advances amounting to P66,450,000 in tobacco funds that were used by the Ilocos Norte provincial government to buy motor vehicles.
Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos supported the plea of the provincial employees, saying their detention by the House was “politically motivated.”