Town mayor, 18 others face arrest

CABUGAO, Ilocos Sur – Cabugao Mayor Josh Edward Cobangbang and 18 other local government unit employees have been ordered arrested by a trial court in connection with the forcible takeover of a beach resort here in 2017.

Cobangbang and company face serious illegal detention – a non-bailable offense – and grave coercion following a complaint filed by resort manager Virginia Nicole Savellano-Ong.

Ong alleged that she, her fouryear old son and several employees of Cabugao Beach Resort (CBR) were detained and bullied after the local government-owned resort was padlocked in August of 2017 on orders of Cabangbang.

On Monday, Regional Trial Court branch 24 Acting Presiding Judge Raphiel Alzate directed policemen or National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents to serve the warrant against the 24-year-old local chief executive and his subordinates.

Last Jan. 15, the justice department reversed an earlier ruling by panel of government prosecutors that dismissed the charges against Cobangbang and the 18 others.

Justice Undersecretary Deo Marco directed prosecutors to indict Cobangbang and company after finding merit to the complaint.

On Cobangbang’s order, city hall employees shut down the resort even without any court order or order from a competent authority and padlocked some rooms, closed the resort gates and stationed several men, the justice department official cited.