An old quarrel over the congressional seat for a party-list group had the police nabbing — in a case of mistaken identity — one of the group’s nominees who, in turn, accused his group’s incumbent congressman as the one who had allegedly orchestrated his arrest using warrants issued in 1989.
In a press release issued on Monday, Francisco Datol Jr. of the Coalition of Associations of Senior Citizens in the Philippines (CASCP) vehemently denied that he was the one named in the arrest warrants served on him.
On June 1, Manila Police District arrested Datol in Quezon City. When GMA News tried to approach him for comment, the television news crew was turned away by a woman who said she was Datol's secretary.
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/222541/nation/former-party-list-rep-nominee-arrested-for-estafa
In his statement Monday, Datol said he met his accuser at the Batangas City Prosecutor’s Office two days after his arrest. But the complainant, Avelino I. Mercado, “categorically stated that this was the first time he saw [Datol]."
Before the prosecutor, Mercado immediately executed a Salaysay ng Pagtutuwid (Clarificatory affidavit) in which he declared “isinasagawa ko ang salaysay na ito para patutuhanan na ang kaharap ko ngayon na si FRANCISCO G. DATOL JR. ay hindi ang taong aking nirereklamo sa mga kasong nabanggit sa itaas nito kung hindi ibang tao."
In Datol’s press release, he alleged that “Congressman Arquiza would do everything just to prevent Francisco Datol, Jr. from sitting as Congressman on January 2012 based on their Irrevocable Covenant on term-sharing."
Party-list Rep. Godofredo V. Arquiza occupies one of the two seats that CASCP won in the lower house. Those who get to sit as the party-list group’s representatives must be one of the nominees whose names were submitted to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) before the congressional polls.
Datol also made reference to a power struggle within the party-list group, certain charges filed with the Ombudsman, and Arquiza’s letter-request for copies of warrants for the arrest of a certain Francisco Datol Jr. before Branch 8 of the Regional Trial Court of Batangas City.
On May 30, Rep. Arquiza delivered a privilege speech alleging that Datol and his group had wanted to disqualify Rep. David L. Kho — the CASCP’s second representative — to allow Datol to take his place, and that the Comelec had given due course to alleged fake and falsified documents filed by Datol seeking a change in name of CASCP. — VS
