By Nora C. Soriño,
Iligan City Bureau Chief
Iligan City — Supporters of detained mayor Celso Regencia now plan to hold their rally in Davao City to further dramatize their demand for mayor’s release.
This is, after they had staged a prayerally on Saturday which had them converging near the post office and marching towards the Rizal park. There were at least 3,000 supporters where most of them wore red.
Mar Bado, one of the supporters of the mayor said that the planned holding of a rally in Davao City would further enable the President “to see the mayor’s predicament” and that the people of the city are the ones suffering because the mayor could not fully discharge his duties, because of his detention.
They said they are not in favor of transferring the mayor in another facility as “something might happen to the mayor there.” citing the case of then Albuera, Leyte mayor who was murdered inside his cell in a jail facility in Baybay City.
To recall, Regencia has been charged of masterminding the plot to ambush then congressman Vicente Belmonte, jr. near the Laguindingan airport Dec. 11, 2014, with Belmonte surviving it but killing three of his aides.
To note, the mayor’s case is being tried at the sala of Judge Ferdinand Baylon of the Regional Trial Court Branch 77 in Quezon City, after it was transferred there from the RTC Branch 44, of Misamis Oriental.
Attempts were made to transfer the mayor from the city jail to a facility in Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Quezon City. But the mayor’s supporters always blocked the entrance of the city jail to prevent his transfer as they insist that the mayor is not involved in the assassination attempt.
Last Nov. 16, the hearing took place in said sala at Quezon City, still without the presence of the mayor. It was learned that the hearing was on the petition for bail filed by the mayor’s camp. Atty. Leo Zaragoza, the mayor’s lawyer said that present on that hearing were the medico legal.
