CA orders House security to bring detained Ilocos Norte gov't employees to court

The Court of Appeals (CA) has directed the House sergeant-at-arms to bring to the court six Ilocos Norte provincial government employees who were held in contempt and detained by House of Representatives.

Butch Catubay, legal counsel for the employees, said Monday the CA Fourth Division issued the writ of habeas corpus last Friday following a petition filed by the government workers that insisted their detention is illegal.

The employees are Pedro Agcaoili, chair of the bids and awards committee and the provincial and planning development unit; Josephine Calajate, provincial treasurer; Edna Battulayan, accountant; Evangeline Tabulog, provincial budget officer; and Genedine Jambaro and Encarnacion Gaor, who are assigned at the treasury office.

"Since the writ of habeas corpus was issued last Friday, he was supposed to bring the six detainees today (Monday). Aside from the (House) sergeants-at-arms, the six detainees will also appear," Catubay told reporters.

It was not immediately clear if House sergeant-at-arms, retired Lt. Gen. Roland Detabali, was able to comply with the CA directive because the hearing was off limits to media.

The employees acted as resource persons for the congressional inquiry last May 29 into the Ilocos Norte Provincial Government's alleged misuse of tobacco excise tax by purchasing 70 mini trucks, 40 mini cabs and five secondhand buses amounting to P66.45 million in 2011 and 2012.

These vehicles had been distributed to different barangay chairmen for use of tobacco farmers and other agricultural processes as a post-harvest facility, such as in transporting produce from farms to markets.

House Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte 1st District Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas cited the employees in contempt and moved for their detainment for “refusing to answer questions” he asked regarding the purchases based on photocopied documents.

During the hearing, the six employees repeatedly told the House committee on good government and public accountability that they could not recall the transactions anymore.

In a statement, Ilocos Norte Provincial Board Member Atty. Vicentito Lazo said the employees did not refuse to answer the queries of the committee.

"What they said was, ‘Those are photocopies. If we could find the originals, we could answer your questions and verify,'" Lazo said.

“But during the hearing Congressman Fariñas heard from COA (Commission on Audit) themselves that they cannot find the documents because it's been how many years already,” Lazo added.

Fariñas has shrugged off the petition, saying the employees would remain in detention "until they stop their contemptuous act of giving evasive answers, tantamount to refusal to answer."

He also believed that there was "clear conspiracy" to cover up the alleged misuse of funds for overpriced motor vehicles acquired through cash advances.

"As soon as the resolution was filed for the investigation of these transactions, all the documents relating thereto were stolen from the COA office at the Provincial Capitol, and all the offices of the provincial treasurer, accountant, budget officer and development coordinator have destroyed all their files,” Fariñas said. —KBK, GMA News