General Santos court issues habeas corpus writ on wrongful arrest

GENERAL SANTOS CITY—A Regional Trial Court (RTC) judge here issued a writ of habeas corpus for a man wrongfully arrested in what his relatives and neighbors said was a case of mistaken identity in connection with the Maguindanao massacre.

Judge Oscar Noel, of RTC Branch 35 here, ordered the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of the Philippine National Police to present to him Richard Gofel, a resident of Barangay Buayan.

Gofel, 28, was arrested in Glan, Sarangani, last week after a witness pointed to him as a suspect in the Nov. 23, 2009 mass murder of 58 people, mostly journalists, in a town controlled by the Ampatuan clan in Maguindanao.

Gofel denied the accusation, saying he was never a member of the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (Cafgu), a militia believed used by the Ampatuans in the massacre. Gofel also said he has never been to Maguindanao.

Police in Glan made the arrest and turned over Gofel to the CIDG, that released but arrested him again after two more witnesses surfaced to tag him as a suspect in the massacre.

Last Saturday, at least 500 residents of the village where Gofel lives went to the CIDG office here demanding his release.

They said police mistook Gofel for Fahad Utto, a suspect in the massacre, who carried a P250,000 prize on his head.

Rafael Tumulak, a contractor who had hired Gofel as a welder, came forward to say Gofel worked for him from 2008-2010.

Instead of listening to him, however, CIDG tried to arrest and handcuff Tumulak during the protest rally. He managed to escape and is now in the custody of a local official here.

Emilyn, Gofel’s wife, assailed the CIDG for the wrong arrest.  Aquiles Z. Zonio, Inquirer Mindanao