By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – A Regional Trial  Court judge here acquitted the municipal mayor of Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental and her husband of illegal possession of firearms and explosives charges filed six years ago.

“It’s an early Christmas gift for us,” said Mayor Ella Celestina D. Garcia and husband Felix Matias Segundo Feria Yulo after they received the court decision Friday, November 23, 2023.

The case dates back to 2017 when the mayor was still the vice mayor of the said town.

In his decision, Presiding Judge Edgar Tupas of Regional Trial Court Branch 46 said that “the case is dismissed due to insufficiency of evidence.”

The case stemmed from a checkpoint staged by the town police then headed by Senior Inspector Reloj at Barangay Crossing Magallon on December 19, 2017.

The police claimed to have found firearms and explosives in the vehicle of the couple without the necessary licenses.

The couple has maintained their innocence in the charges claiming the pieces of evidence were planted.

In his decision, Tupas cited the demeanor and deportment of Reloj at the witness stand whom the judge said “did not inspire confidence in the truthfulness of his testimony, exhibited great stress as he struggled to remain consistent on the witness stand.”

“He was not spontaneous in answering questions, especially from the defense counsel,” Tupas further said in his decision.

Tupas also cited that “at one point he (Reloj) grabbed his head with both of his hands looked at the courtroom’s ceiling and brushed both his hands in his hair to try to clear up what he was thinking while grimacing in exhaustion in the witness stand.”

“He was not a credible witness of the People’s cause in these cases,” Tupas said.

The teary-eyed Garcia said she is thankful that eventually truth and justice reigned in this case that haunted them through the years.

She also said that what made them sustain through the years is their clear conscience and that they are innocent of the charges.

She recalled that even while in detention, there were attempts on their lives.

She thanked La Castellana town Mayor Alme Rhummyla Nicor-Mangilimutan for taking them into her custody and keeping them guarded and safe while in detention.

She also said their original lawyer eventually inhibited himself from the case due to threats to his life and it took them a while to convince another lawyer to take their case.

She lamented the said lawyer was not able to see their victory after he succumbed to Covid-19 during the pandemic.

“He was just able to finish our final case position when Covid hit him, we are truly grateful to him,” she added.

Garcia also filed her candidacy for mayor in 2019 in handcuffs until they were allowed to post bail and gained temporary liberty on April 5, 2019.

“Very happy gid kami kay officially nakuha na ang tonok sa amon dughan, nasubuan lang kami kay kadamo sang mga tawo nga nagbulig sa amon nga wala na” she further said.

If there is one thing learned, she said “It taught us to be patient and that it always happens in God’s time, ginpakita lang ni nga the truth will always prevail and justice is not only for the rich people kay bisan wala kami connection kag kuarta, nag prevail gihapon ang justice.”

“Ang pinakabakod namon nga gina kapyotan ang kamatooran nga wala kami sang sala kag pangamuyo, kadamo gid nag bulig sa amon pangamuyo, kag wala gid kami ginpabay-an sang Ginoo,” Mayor Ella added.

She also thanked the media who covered and reported the checkpoint incident which she said prevented something worse that could have happened to them.