Police arrest Mandaue City College head

MANDAUE CITY, Philippines – Police arrested Thursday Dr. Paulus Mariae Cañete for illegal possession of a .38-caliber revolver as he allegedly was about to hand over the firearm to a man the school official hired to steal documents from Mandaue City College (MCC). The controversial MCC official, however, was released late Friday afternoon after posting P60,000 bail before the Municipal Trial Court in Cities Judge Carlo Fernando. Gavino Cabahug, 29, an electronics technician and resident of Lamac, Consolacion, Cebu, told police Cañete offered him P50,000 to steal MCC school records. He also said an intermediary initially told him Cañete wanted MCC burned. In a talk with reporters yesterday, Cabahug also said Cañete ordered him to kill Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes. He, however, didn’t include that allegation in his affidavit. Cañete denied the allegations. He also denied knowing Cabahug. But a news team from GMA 7 Balitang Bisdak was able to get video footage of Cañete and Cabahug talking on two separate occasions—on May 3 and 6 (see related story). Cabahug said in his affidavit that last April 27, Teonil Cordova called him up saying he had a job. Cabahug said Cordova, a family driver, is a customer of the shop where he works as car stereo installer. Cabahug said Cordova met him in the morning of April 28 and told him that Cañete is offering P50,000 for the burning of MCC. Cabahug said he knows Cañete because the latter was one of his teachers when he was still studying in the University of the Visayas. Cabahug said that in the evening of April 28, he met with Cañete, a certain Cathy labeled as MCC finance officer in the affidavit, three body guards, and a man who introduced himself as an MCC teacher. In that meeting at a café in Panagdait, Mabolo, Cabahug said Cañete told him to steal MCC documents during the Mandaue City fiesta. Cabahug said he met Cañete the next day at a fastfood outlet in Consolacion. He said that during the meeting, the MCC official was accompanied by three bodyguards and a man who introduced himself as the MCC human resource development officer. In that meeting, Cabahug said they discussed how to steal the documents stored in 50 sacks and several boxes. He said he was given a sketch of the school’s layout. Cabahug said he feared for his life and decided to go to GMA 7 to seek help. Two of their subsequent meetings were then captured on video. Cabahug said the group agreed to give him a gun he can use when he breaks into the school. He said he was supposed to have been given the gun on May 7 in Consolacion but the handover was aborted when two policemen arrived. Cabahug said the group later decided to give him the gun on Thursday, the day he was scheduled to break into the school and steal the documents. He allegedly met with Cañete in front of Our Lady of Fatima church. It was during this meeting that Cañete was arrested. Police arrested Cañete and five companions in front of the church steps in Barangay Basak. Police said the school official was about to hand over the revolver to Cabahug. Cañete, however, said it was the other way around. He said police asked a person to hand him a bag containing a gun and that he refused to take it. “Dunay tao silang gisugo nga modunol kadtong bag nga naay armas. Wa nako dawata kay wa ko kaila niya (They asked someone to give me the bag with the gun. I didn’t accept it because I did not know the person)," Cañete said. Arrested with Cañete were Melba P. Villamor, 42; Roldan Branolo, 32; Reynaldo Coligado, 27; Elmer Repalda, 41; and Katrina E. Cortes, 29. They were later released. Police, meanwhile, charged Cañete with illegal gun possession. When interviewed before he posted bail, Cañete said his conscience is clear and he did not do anything illegal. He said that his conflict with Cortes is merely political and nothing personal. In an interview with reporters yesterday, however, Cabahug claimed he was also asked to kill Corters. He did not include that allegation in his affidavit. He alleged that the group planned to blame the loss of the documents on Cortes and then kill him. “Naghisgot sila pabirahan ang mayor (they talked about having the mayor killed)," witness told reporters yesterday. He also quoted the school’s HRD official, whom he failed to identify, as saying, "Ako nakadawat na man ko unsay mahitabo (I’ve accepted what will happen.)" Cabahug then said that Cañete told him, “Pabirahan si mayor (Hit the mayor)." Cortes said he earlier learned from Commission on Higher Education (Ched) Director Enrique Grecia that Cañete wanted to postpone a scheduled inventory of MCC’s school records and equipment at the Ibabao campus. Cortes said this made him suspicious. Cañete was named MCC president during the term of dismissed Mandaue City mayor Thadeo Ouano. Cortes said that even during Ouano’s suspension over the Asean streetlamps investigation, Cañete refused to render an accounting to then acting mayor Amadeo Seno Jr. Cortes has taken over the MCC campus in Bry. Ibabao. The group, however, relocated to the Eversley Child Sanitarium, through the help of Rep. Nerissa Soon-Ruiz. The conflict between Cañete’s group and Cortes has reached the courts. RTC Judge Marlyn Lagura Yap has ruled in favor of the mayor and ordered Cañete to stop acting as MCC president. Cañete said they will appeal the decision. Cortes said he has long received reports that someone was out to kill him. He said he had no idea that Cañete was behind it. Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 Director Ronald Roderos said that if Cortes feels his security arrangement is inadequate, he can ask the Mandaue City Police Office for more bodyguards. Dr. Susana Cabahug, whom Cortes recognizes as the MCC president, said he couldn’t believe what Cañete did. – Sun.Star Cebu