Alleged threat from CCPO chief claimed; Garma to suspect’s ‘wife’: Prove it

 CEBU CITY, Philippines — The common law wife of arrested drug suspect Eddie Basillote made an appeal to Police Colonel Royina Garma, Cebu City Police Office director, not to harm them.

The common law wife or live in partner made the appeal in a press briefing on Sunday, April 28, in Cebu City, after she claimed that Basillote allegedly told her on Saturday, April 27, about Garma’s alleged threat of killing the family and their other relatives 

“Ayaw lang sad intawn mi hilabti kay pobre ming dako wala mi ika sukol nimo,” she said as she made her call to Garma.

(Please, don’t hurt us because we are poor, and we don’t have the means to fight you.)

When sought for comment on April 28, Garma said in a phone interview that Basillote and his family were desperate.

She challenged Basillote’s live in partner to show proof that she threatened the family.

“That is a serious accusation. Iprove mo na nagthreaten ako,” (Prove that I have threatened you), said Garma about the threat allegations of Basillote’s common law wife.

She said she was also considering filing a case against Basillote’s live in partner for airing her allegations in the media without showing proof.

Read more: CCPO to probe Talamban cops for ‘police brutality’ caught on video

Basillote was the drug suspect, who was mauled allegedly by police officers of the Talamban Police Precinct during an operation in Barangay Carreta last April 18.

The mauling was caught on the security camera of the pinball shop where the raid was done. The footage of the attack was posted on Facebook and has since gone viral.

At past 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 28, Basillote’s common law wife held a press conference where she revealed the alleged threats allegedly made by Garma to the family through Basillote.

The common law wife, who had her face covered with a piece of cloth during the press briefing, said she learned about the alleged threat on Saturday, April 27, when she visited Basillote to bring him lunch at past 1 p.m. that day at the Cebu City Police Office detention cell along Gorordo Avenue in Cebu City.

During her visit, Basillote allegedly told her that Garma approached him and allegedly made the threat and allegedly cited two conditions to Basillote.

She said that Garma allegedly asked Basillote to take down the videos circulating online about the alleged police brutality.

She also claimed that Garma allegedly asked Basillote not to pursue the filing of a case against the police.

“Ni hatod ko gahapon og kaon, unya naa siya’y gi sturya nako nga si Garma ni psywar sa iya nga pamatyon kuno mi, asta ako mga anak, asta mga igagaw sa ako bana,” said Basillote’s partner.

( I visited and brought food to Eddie on April 27 and he told me that Garma allegedly told him that she would kill everyone including my son and daughter, and all of Eddie’s cousins.)

Basillote’s wife last saw him yesterday, April 27. She said she did not visit Eddie again because she feared for her life.

Read more: CHR-7: CCTV footage of police mauling suspect shows abuse of human rights

When sought for comment on the alleged threat, Lawyer Arvin Odron, Commission on Human Rights in Central Visayas (CHR-7) director, said in a text message to CDN Digital that he was encouraging Basillote’s family to visit the CHR office so that they could get their statements.

Odron also said also said that the agency was not able to get a copy of the information they needed about the alleged mauling incident from the Talamban Police station.

“As expected, the CHR didn’t get the needed info from the Talamban Police. Nevertheless, the investigation will continue,” said Odron./dbs