Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña confronts Patrolman Romil Gelogo outside of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) compound. /Photo taken from Osmeña’s FB page
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Outgoing Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña has filed additional charges on Friday, May 24, against a policeman assigned the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Central Visayas (CIDG-7) whose motorcycle he ordered impounded, dawn of May 12, 2019.
Osmeña accused Police Patrolman Romil Gelogo of perjury, violation of the City Traffic Code and unexplained wealth before the Office of the Ombudsman Visayas.
CDN Digital tried to secure Gelogo’s statement on the mayor’s accusations but calls and messages that were sent to his personal number were left unanswered.
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In his complaint affidavit, Osmeña asked the Ombudsman to investigate how a neophyte policeman acquired a P150, 000 Tag Heuer watch which he earlier claimed was kept on the tool box of his impounded motorcycle.
With the P30, 000 monthly salary that he was getting, Osmeña said it was impossible for Gelogo to have bought such an expensive watch.
Osmeña furnished copies of his May 24 letter-complaint to reporters earlier today, May 25.
He further alleged that Gelogo lied in his sworn affidavit which he submitted before the Office of the Ombudsman Visayas on May 22 to support the criminal and administrative complaints which he filed against the outgoing mayor whom he accused of failure to issue a citation ticket after his motorcycle was ordered impounded.
Contrary to the policeman’s claim, Osmeña said that Gelogo never asked for a citation ticket after his motorcycle was impounded the by the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO). Instead, he went back to the Camp Sotero Cabahug, the headquarters of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), where he is now assigned.
Osmeña added that he tried to leave behind the CTO-issued citation ticket addressed to Gelogo but none of duty police officers accepted it.
He justified that CCTO had every basis to impound Gelogo’s motorcycle since this was not registered with the Land Transportation Office (LTO), a violation of the Land Transportation and Traffic Code of the Philippines.
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The charges which Osmeña filed on Friday were in addition to the earlier complaints which he also submitted before the Office of the Ombudsman Visayas against Gelogo whom he accused of violation of the city’s traffic ordinance for wearing only shorts and slippers while driving his motorcycle.
He said that the policeman also drove a motorcycle that was without a side mirror while he also failed to show documents to prove his owner of the unit that he was driving.
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Osmeña chanced upon Gelogo, who was about to leave the CCPO headquarters, while visiting the police camp at dawn of May 12, 2019 to speak with two Sangnuniang Kabataan (SK) officials who were arrested on accusations of vote buying. /dcb