AN OFFICIAL of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) in Central Visayas spent one night at the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) 7 on Monday after he was arrested in his office at the Mactan Cebu International Airport, in connection with the libel suit an assistant prosecutor filed against him in 2009.
Fernando “Butch” San Ramon Jr., president of the Cebu Immigration Officers Association Inc., was only able to gain his temporary freedom after posting P10,000 as bail at the Cebu City Regional Trial Court.
Judge Sylva Paderanga of the RTC Branch 16 signed San Ramon’s release order a few minutes before noon yesterday.
PO3 Arnold Bocayong, a CIDG 7 member, served the arrest warrant on San Ramon at his office at the Mactan Cebu International Airport at 1:30 p.m. last Monday, a few hours after it was issued by Paderanga.
CIDG office
The police initially served the warrant at San Ramon’s house in Barangay Mabolo but he was not there.
Cebu City Assistant Prosecutor Mary Ann Castro, who filed the libel case against San Ramon, said the accused was not detained at the CIDG 7 stockade after his arrest.
San Ramon stayed in the agency’s administration office.
Castro, however, said she was willing to forgive San Ramon, if he apologizes to her.
“I’m willing to forgive because I am only human. At this stage, justice has been served,” Castro said.
Complaints
But she said she would leave the outcome of the case to her lawyer, Joey Luis Wee.
San Ramon’s counsel, Gloria Lastimosa-Dalawampu, said there is nothing to apologize for. “We’ll just meet in court,” she added.
Last March 2009, Castro filed separate libel complaints against San Ramon and immigration regional supervisor Casimiro Madarang III before the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office and Mandaue City Prosecutor’s Office, respectively.
Castro sued Madarang and San Ramon for accusing her of extorting money from foreigners and demanding overtime pay from the airport authority although she was not entitled to such privilege.
Another usurpation of official function complaint for violation of Article 177 of the Revised Penal Code was also filed by Castro against Madarang and Romeo “Butch” Junia, former technical assistant to the commissioner, in Mandaue City.
She also lodged a complaint for falsification of public documents and dishonesty against Madarang before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas.
In 2009, Madarang and San Ramon filed a complaint against Castro for graft and corruption, direct bribery and extortion before the Visayas Ombudsman.
