Wanted: Daraga Mayor Baldo

Mayor Carlwyn Baldo of Daraga, Albay FILE PHOTO/Mark Alvic Esplana

DARAGA, Albay – Daraga Mayor Carlwyn Baldo has been declared as a “Wanted Person” after police failed to serve his warrant of arrest for double murder and six counts of attempted murder issued by a local court here for the past two days.

Lt. Col Rodelon Betita, Daraga police chief, said the failure to locate and arrest the mayor prompted them to include Baldo’s name in the list of fugitives and in the roster of the town’s wanted persons.

Baldo was accused as the mastermind in the killing of Ako Bicol Partylist Rep. Rodel Batocabe and his police security aide, SPO2 Orlando Diaz, on December 22 last year.

Batocabe was supposed to run against Baldo as mayor of Daraga, along with Daraga Vice Mayor Victor Perete.

Batocabe was replaced by his wife Gertrudes, who was now seeking the mayoral post.

“We have talked with the mayor’s wife and lawyer, asking them to convince Mayor Baldo to surrender and comply with the court order,” Betita said.

According to him, police were tracking down the possible places where Baldo could have temporarily hidden.

“We are closely monitoring and validating these areas where the Mayor could possibly go and seek refuge,” he said.

On Monday, police tried to arrest Baldo in his residence in Barangay Tagas in Daraga, Albay, however, the chief executive was not home.

Betita said they were not in the position to speculate if the mayor was resisting arrest.

“We cannot tell whether or not he’s there or not. He may not be really there,” he said after searching the compound.

“They also have lawyers. They listen to the advice of their lawyers. It’s hard to speculate,” he said.

He said that aside from the search that they conducted, they also talked with Baldo’s family, whom he said were cooperative during the search.

Baldo’s wife Romela, said the release of the arrest warrant had something to do with politics, especially since Election Day was fast approaching.

“I truly believe, you know, ultimately God is in control,” she said.

She claimed not knowing where her husband was when police served the arrest warrant.

Plea to surrender

Justin, son of the late Rodel Batocabe, said they were “very happy and grateful that a warrant of arrest has already been issued.”

“We understand that he is currently in hiding and we hope that he can be apprehended as soon as possible,” he said.

Justin hoped for Baldo to surrender so that the trial could proceed.

Meanwhile, the Department of the Interior and Local Government said that with Baldo’s impending arrest, Perete would have to assume the mayoral post under the Local Government Code. Anthony Nuyda, director of DILG in Bicol, said that following the rule of succession, “we are giving four days for Mayor Baldo to appear and heed to the court order.”

Nuyda said that upon consultation with law enforcers and the Commission on Elections, if Baldo failed to surrender to authorities in the given deadline or once he gets arrested, Perete would automatically assume as the acting town mayor to avoid any “vacuum or hiatus” in the town’s government operations./ac