Car driver denies abducting traffic officer

A MEMBER of the Traffic Enforcement Agency in Mandaue (TEAM) who was allegedly kidnapped met his ‘abductor’ identified as Joel Maravillas in the Mandaue City Police office last Saturday afternoon.

Virgilio Cruel, 53, was still in his uniform when he identified Maravillas as the person who abducted him last Wednesday noon at the Investigation and Detection Management Branch (IDMB) office in Mandaue City police headquarters.

According to police, Maravillas showed up in their office to clear the owner of the car allegedly used in the abduction – an orange car with place number YDV 277 that was traced to a certain John Lee.

“Niari siya diri koyog iyang lawyer, aron pag-clear sa ilang name nga wala siya nang-abduct,”(He came here with his lawyer to clear his name and deny the charges of abduction),”  said Insp. Ramil Morpos, IDMB chief.

Based on Maravillas’s  account to the police, he was using Lee’s car when the alleged abduction happened last Wednesday.

In the confrontation between Cruel and Maravillas, Cruel may have also changed his tune.

This time, he said he didn’t say he was abducted, but he jumped off the orange car out of fear.

“Wala pud ko nisolti nga gi-abduct ko pero ni-ambak lang ko kay mahadlok ko nga padong mi sa NBI unya butang-butangang unya ko ug sala,”  Cruel was quoted by Morpos as saying.

(I did not say I was abducted, but I jumped out of the car because I feared they will manufacture crimes against me in the NBI.)

Cruel, on the other hand, told Cebu Daily News that he personally didn’t like to press charges against Maravilla. But he said it will all depend on whatever legal action his office wants.

Cebu Daily News tried to contact Maravillas but he refused to comment on the issue.

Despite his experience, Cruel said he still would want to be a traffic enforcer since it is his main livelihood./Correspondent Jucell Marie P. Cuyos