Judge in Ecleo case inhibits self

CEBU CITY – The parricide case against Ruben Ecleo Jr., son of Surigao del Norte Rep. Glenda Ecleo, already stalled by the continued failure of the police to effect his arrest, hit another snag the other day when the judge handling it inhibited himself.

Regional Trial Court Judge Olegario Sarmiento gave due course to a motion filed by Elpidio Bacolod, father of Alona Ecleo, the suspect’s wife, against the advice of prosecutors and to disabuse the minds of some people who might think he (Sarmiento) was shirking from his duties.

Bacolod’s motion was anchored on Sarmiento’s own promise to inhibit himself from handling cases being supported by the advocacy group Crusade Against Violence.

Bacolod said the relationship of Sarmiento and the Crusade Against Violence had been "strained" when the group also asked the judge to inhibit himself from a rape case.

But Thelma Chiong, president of the Crusade Against Violence, said the real reason why Bacolod sought Sarmiento’s inhibition was the closeness of the judge to the Ecleo family.

Chiong claimed she has information that Sarmiento has adopted one of the siblings of Ecleo, divine master of the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association, a Mindanao-based religious sect founded by his (Ecleo’s) father.

Prior to inhibiting himself, Sarmiento denied Ecleo’s motion to quash the warrant which RTC Executive Judge Galicano Arriesgado had issued for his arrest.

Ecleo, however, remains scot-free. The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), a special police unit tasked to effect his arrest, continues to hedge on doing its job.

Ritchie Posadas, the CIDG’s deputy chief in the Visayas, said he is still waiting for the go-signal from his superiors at Camp Crame who, he claimed, are still verifying reports that Ecleo will surrender to Sen. Robert Barbers, a fellow Surigaonon.

Posadas said he is also trying to negotiate with the leaders of Ecleo’s religious sect to convince Ecleo to surrender to avert any violence.

He said he has information that Ecleo has hired "goons" armed with high-powered weapons to thwart any attempt to arrest him. – Freeman News Service CEBU CITY – The parricide case against Ruben Ecleo Jr., son of Surigao del Norte Rep. Glenda Ecleo, already stalled by the continued failure of the police to effect his arrest, hit another snag the other day when the judge handling it inhibited himself.

Regional Trial Court Judge Olegario Sarmiento gave due course to a motion filed by Elpidio Bacolod, father of Alona Ecleo, the suspect’s wife, against the advice of prosecutors and to disabuse the minds of some people who might think he (Sarmiento) was shirking from his duties.

Bacolod’s motion was anchored on Sarmiento’s own promise to inhibit himself from handling cases being supported by the advocacy group Crusade Against Violence.

Bacolod said the relationship of Sarmiento and the Crusade Against Violence had been "strained" when the group also asked the judge to inhibit himself from a rape case.

But Thelma Chiong, president of the Crusade Against Violence, said the real reason why Bacolod sought Sarmiento’s inhibition was the closeness of the judge to the Ecleo family.

Chiong claimed she has information that Sarmiento has adopted one of the siblings of Ecleo, divine master of the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association, a Mindanao-based religious sect founded by his (Ecleo’s) father.

Prior to inhibiting himself, Sarmiento denied Ecleo’s motion to quash the warrant which RTC Executive Judge Galicano Arriesgado had issued for his arrest.

Ecleo, however, remains scot-free. The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), a special police unit tasked to effect his arrest, continues to hedge on doing its job.

Ritchie Posadas, the CIDG’s deputy chief in the Visayas, said he is still waiting for the go-signal from his superiors at Camp Crame who, he claimed, are still verifying reports that Ecleo will surrender to Sen. Robert Barbers, a fellow Surigaonon.

Posadas said he is also trying to negotiate with the leaders of Ecleo’s religious sect to convince Ecleo to surrender to avert any violence.

He said he has information that Ecleo has hired "goons" armed with high-powered weapons to thwart any attempt to arrest him. – Freeman News Service