Pre-trial of tsunami scare suspect reset

CEBU, Philippines - A year after the tsunami scare, the court decided to reset the pre-trial of the criminal case against Danilo Cogtas, a radio blocktimer, who allegedly started the scare.

This is because the complainant and witnesses failed to appear in the sala of Judge Anatalio Necesario of the Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC) Branch 2 yesterday.

Cogtas was charged for violation of Article 153 of the Revised Penal Code or tumults and other disturbance of public order after he allegedly triggered the tsunami scare in Cebu City last year.

Defense counsel Ruphel Bañoc told The FREEMAN the case was reset to April 3, 2013.

If the complainant and witnesses will not appear on this day, Bañoc will move for the dismissal of the case.

“I will manifest before the court to dismiss the case once the prosecution witnesses fail to appear again,” he said.

Bañoc said the case filed against his client has no basis and was “was only filed under pressure”.

“He (Cogtas) was bothered by the case and he wanted it dismissed,” Bañoc said.

The case was filed on February 10, 2012, four days after a 6.9 magnitude earthquake hit Cebu and other parts of Central Visayas.

Witnesses Ryan Pedrosa and Roldan Espina, both motorcycle drivers, said that at 2 p.m., while they were waiting for passengers in Barangay Lahug they saw people running and heading to Barangay Busay, a higher ground, saying a tsunami was coming.

Because of curiosity, the witnesses boarded their motorcycles and headed to the Pasil fish port where the alleged tsunami started.

The witnesses said that before they could reach the coastline, they saw a man on a motorcycle shouting at the people that a tsunami was coming.

They described the man as a media man and pointed to Cogtas.

Cogtas denied the allegation of the witnesses that he used a megaphone in spreading that a tsunami was coming.

He added that he never went to Colon and Lahug to scare the people. —MBG (FREEMAN)