Tolentino Pinandigan ni Senate Majority Leader Francis ‘Tol’ Tolentino ang kanyang posisyon na ang Senado ang may wastong arrest warrant laban kay dating Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo.

Tolentino nanindigan na Capas RTC walang hurisdiksyon kay Alice Guo

September 11, 2024 People's Tonight 83 views

MATIBAY ang paninindigan ni Senate Majority Leader Francis ‘Tol’ Tolentino na tanging ang Senado ang kasalukuyang may wasto o ‘valid’ na arrest warrant laban kay dating Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo.

Nagtalumpati si Tolentino sa sesyon ng Senado noong Martes ng hapon, kung saan binanggit niya ang transmittal sheet na ipinadala ng Office of the Ombudsman sa Executive Clerk of Court ng Third Judicial Region (RTC ng Capas, Tarlac) noong isinumite ng una ang impormasyon para sa mga kasong graft ni Guo.

Nakasaad sa naturang transmittal sheet, na may petsang Agosto 29, 2024, at pirmado ni Assistant Ombudsman Rex Reynaldo Sandoval, ang kahilingan sa Executive Clerk of Court “for appropriate action by the Honorable Executive / Presiding Judge in the immediate determination of the nearest judicial region pursuant to the Office of the Court Administrator (OCA) Circular No. 10-2024…and RA 10660 or an Act Strengthening Further the Functional and Structural Organization of the Sandiganbayan.”

Magugunita na nagmosyon si Tolentino para akuin ng Senado ang kustodiya kay Guo, matapos niyang ipakita na taliwas sa RA 10660 ang arrest warrant na inisyu ng RTC Branch 109 sa Capas, Tarlac. Ito’y dahil nakapaloob din sa naturang judicial region ang bayan ng Bamban, kung saan nanungkulan bilang alkalde si Guo.

“Ibig sabihin po, Mr. President, wala pong jurisdiction. Sang-ayon po dito, wala pong jurisdiction yung Capas, Tarlac, at binibigyan po ng poder ang Executive Judge na pumili ng pinakamalapit na judicial region,” ipinaliwanag ni Tolentino sa kanyang talumpati.

“I am stressing this, Mr. President, to highlight again that as of today, the Senate’s warrant of arrest should be considered as the only valid warrant of arrest in existence today,” dagdag pa nya.

Sa ilalim ng Section 2 ng RA 10660 ukol sa hurisdiksyon, “…the cases falling under the jurisdiction of the Regional Trial Court under this section shall be tried in a judicial region “other than” where the official holds office.”

Samantala, nagpadala na rin ng liham si Tolentino kay Senator Risa Hontiveros, chairperson of the Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, para ibahagi sa huli ang naturang transmittal sheet.

Sa kanyang liham, binanggit ni Tolentino kay Hontiveros: “Despite the foregoing, the RTC Branch 109 of Capas, Tarlac assumed jurisdiction over the same [Guo’s case] and issued an arrest warrant against former Mayor Alice Guo, which has raised questions regarding the jurisdiction and validity of the case filed against her.”

Isang abogado at propesor ng batas si Tolentino.

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