PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan — Police and anti-drug enforcers on Tuesday morning presented Vice Mayor Luis Marcaida III before the City Prosecution Office (CPO) for judicial investigation for alleged illegal possession of hard drugs, firearms, and incendiary devices.
Marcaida was placed under inquest at the prosecutor’s office for violations of Section 5, Article II of Republic Act 9165 or Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002) for alleged “sale, trading, administration, dispensation, delivery, distribution and transportation of dangerous drugs and/or controlled precursors and essential chemicals”; Section 11, Article II of the same Act for “possession of dangerous drugs”; Republic Act 10591 (Comprehensive Law on Firearms and Ammunition); and Republic Act 9516 amending Presidential Decree 1866 for illicit ownership of firearms and explosive devices.
The beleaguered vice mayor, through a subpoena issued by Associate City Prosecutor Fritzie Baban-Subang, was ordered to submit within 10 days his counter-affidavit and other supporting documents for his defense.
Failure to submit within the said period will mean Marcaida is abandoning his right for a preliminary investigation.
The complainants against Marcaida were PO2 Suharto Pendatu of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Drug Enforcement Group (PNP DEG), Camp Crame; IO1 Jose Pocholo Barreto of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Authority (PDEA)-Palawan; and PO2s Mel Japeth Salmo and Junie Heredero of the City Police Office Drug Enforcement Unit (CPO DEU).
According to his spokesperson, Elmer Zita, Vice Mayor Marcaida’s inquest did not happen until 2:00 a.m. Tuesday because his private lawyer was unavailable.
“We asked for 15-30 minutes for his (Marcaida) lawyer to join us but they did not allow our request. We had to wait until 2:00 a.m. because no lawyer in the fiscal’s office was also available. It was a good thing that a PAO (Public Attorney’s Office) lawyer came to represent him,” Zita told PNA.
Meanwhile, the vice mayor showed no trace of hard drug use when he was placed under a mandatory drug test by the Palawan Police Provincial Office (PPO) Crime Laboratory.
“The drug test was done to check if he has traces of shabu, and he turned negative,” said PNP DEG Superintendent Enrico Rigor, who headed the team that raided Marcaida’s house in Jacana Road, Barangay Bancao-Bancao Monday morning.
Rigor added the result of the drug test will not, in any way, hinder the filing of the cases against the vice mayor.
Marcaida’s bodyguard, David Gales, charged with illegal possession of an alleged unlicensed .38 caliber pistol, was allowed to post PHP160,000 bail for his temporary liberty.
At the CPO Tuesday morning, Gales said he would rather stay with Marcaida, than return to his home since “it’s a safer place.”
Monette, the vice mayor’s wife who has stayed by his side since he was held under custody, maintains that her husband is not guilty of the accusations against him.
“We hope for justice regarding this because their accusations against my husband are not true,” she said.
Marcaida remains under the custody of the CPO. He and Monette stay inside a small room within the Investigation Branch Office. (PNA)
