Dino denies he requested police escorts for Mabatid

DINO

Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino has denied that he offered 20 police escorts to Mabolo Barangay Captain Prisca Niña Mabatid.

“[The offer was] Not from me… She did not ask for any assistance from me. I don’t even have 20 escorts so I don’t think she asked for 20. Honestly I don’t think so, I don’t think she did,” Dino said told Cebu Daily News in an interview on Thursday afternoon.

Dino also belied earlier reports that his office asked the Cebu City Police (CCPO) to provide security details to the barangay captain.

Supt. Artemio Ricabo, CCPO director for administration, earlier revealed that they received a verbal order from the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV) to assign security escorts to Mabatid.

He said they could only assign two policemen to her, as it was the most number of policemen that could be detailed to requesting politicians.

Dino, however, said he never made such call to the CCPO, and to Ricabo in particular.

“I never called anyone ha. Not me. I don’t know. Basin nagpa-OPAV OPAV lang to. (Maybe someone just pretended to be from my office.) I’ll make it clear, I did not call anybody,” Dino said.

Dino added: “If ever I called, I would have called (CCPO director Supt. Royina) Garma — their head. I don’t call the lower ranks.”

‘Not 20’

Mabatid claimed on Monday that the Office of the President has offered her 20 police escorts following the threats that she reportedly received shortly after she announced her bid for the presidency of the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) federation in Cebu City.

Dino assured he would be willing to help Mabatid apply for police escorts.

“If ever she will ask for my help, I will help but not 20. I will help facilitate because this is already her life and she has received a lot of threats and we have to also protect her,” he said.

Last Thursday, Mabatid formally filed her certificate of candidacy (COC) for ABC-Cebu City federation president at the office of incumbent ABC-Cebu City President Phillip Zafra, the village chair of Tisa.

Ong vs Mabatid

Mabatid will be running against Kasambagan Barangay Captain Franklyn Ong, who remained confident that their group, Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK), can secure the presidency of ABC-Cebu City.

This despite the pronouncement of Mabatid that several barangay captains allied with BOPK have reportedly promised to support her bid for the ABC presidency.
Ong said he was not threatened by Mabatid’s claim.

“I don’t think that’s a threat. Why should it be a threat? And I’m confident considering that we are strong despite the (money) being dangled before barangay captains of BOPK,” said Ong in a phone interview with CDN on Friday.

Ong and Mabatid, who are also both entrepreneurs, will go head-to-head for the ABC-Cebu City federation elections this Monday, July 30.

Mabatid, although running as an independent, was endorsed by the opposition Barug Team Rama-PDP Laban.

Presently, there are 52 village chiefs allied with BOPK while 28 are with Barug.

Meanwhile, Mabatid slammed Ong for distributing laptops to barangay chiefs, which the latter defended.

“I gave the laptops because when I paid several visits to the barangays in Cebu City, I found out that more than not, they don’t have any or enough functioning computers. I don’t get the logic why they make an intrigue out of it when in fact, these barangay chiefs are with BOPK. I consider them as my family,” Ong said.

He vowed that if he gets elected as ABC-Cebu City Federation president, he will be providing assistance to all 80 barangays in the city. /WITH REPORTER MOREXETTE MARIE B. ERRAM