Inaction on PDI man’s case seen prolonging rap

DAVAO CITY—The judge handling the case of serious illegal detention against Inquirer assistant bureau chief for Mindanao Allan Nawal has not acted on Nawal’s petition to suspend the issuance of an arrest warrant.

Judge Carmelita Davin instead told Nawal’s lawyer, Marcos Risonar Jr. of the Union of People’s Lawyers in Mindanao, to file petitions for bail.

Davin said the Department of Justice’s decision on the petition for review of the case remained not acted upon, and waiting for it might drag the case longer.

But a member of the judiciary said Davin’s advice could mean that Nawal had to yield and spend days in a police detention cell until his petition for bail has been acted upon.

During the hearing set for Nawal’s petition to suspend issuance of warrant on Jan. 21, Davin also appeared to be puzzled by the absence of complainant Manuel Edejer and asked the city prosecutor’s office where he was.

The city prosecutor’s office said Edejer might be able to show up in the next hearing.

But earlier, Edejer had consulted a lawyer and had his affidavit of desistance drafted. Digos City prosecutor Christopher Abarilla rejected the affidavit of desistance and filed the information for serious illegal detention against Nawal.

The case stemmed from Nawal’s taking of Edejer into custody during another attempted intrusion into his compound on July 10 last year, only a few hours after armed men tried to breach the security of his home.

Edejer was then turned over to a police officer.

Instead of investigating him for being a possible suspect in attempts against Nawal’s life, Edejer was made a complainant and filed a charge of grave threat against Nawal at the city prosecutor’s office. Inquirer Mindanao