Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 1) — Senators on Tuesday questioned law enforcers in Misamis Occidental over the method of serving a preventive suspension order on a town mayor in June.
Bonifacio Mayor Samson Dumanjug sought Senator Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa’s help after police forcibly removed him from office on June 16.
“Overkill naman talaga iisang tao lang, 70 years old pa tapos ganoon kadami preponderance of forces. Para bang unjustifiable,” said Dela Rosa, a former national police chief, during an inquiry of the Senate public order and dangerous drugs committee, of which he is chairman.
[Translation: It really was overkill. It was just one person who’s 70 years old and there were that many people. It seems unjustifiable.]
Tensions rose when the suspended mayor supposedly padlocked his office and refused to leave for over two weeks, preventing authorities from serving the suspension order.
Dumanjug’s daughter, Charlotte Panal, said the mayor’s constitutional rights were violated as her father’s legal counsel was not allowed to assist him when law enforcers broke into his office. She shared footage of men in civilian clothes and bonnets serving the order.
“Binasag nila yung mga glass doon tapos merong ‘dapa dapa’ ganyan, it’s a forcible act, naka-bonnet lahat iyon ba ang may nagbasa ng Miranda rights? Is this legal?” Panal asked during the hearing.
[Translation: They shattered the glass there and gave orders to lay on the ground. It’s a forcible act, everyone was wearing bonnets. Is that what they meant when they said Miranda rights were read? Is this legal?]
“Parang mga tulisan na ayaw magpakita ng mukha bakit ganon? Pwede naman siguro magpakita ng mukha kasi legal naman ang ginawa niyo? That casts doubt on the legitimacy of your operation,” Dela Rosa added.
[Translation: They’re like thieves who do not want to show their faces. Maybe they should have shown their faces since what they did was legal?]Video presented at the hearing showed uniformed men and armored vehicles manning the perimeter of the mayor’s office.
The committee learned that the men who barged into the mayor’s office were personnel of the provincial disaster office, and not police officers.
Misamis Occidental Gov. Henry Oaminal explained that he activated the Incident Command System (ICS) after police failed to serve the suspension order. He said the ICS authorized the disaster personnel to carry out the order.
