Kalunasan barangay captain Nunilon Monares appeared at the Cebu City Hall this morning, March 24, 2020, to explain his side to Mayor Edgardo Labella. | Photo by Delta Dyrecka Letigio
CEBU CITY, Philippines –Kalunasan barangay captain Nunilon Monares may be charged for the violation of Republic Act 6713 otherwise known as the Code of Conduct for Public Officials and Employees if proven that he was drinking with some friends while Cebu City’s curfew was in effect.
Lawyer Rey Gealon, head of the City Legal Office, said that he already formed a three-lawyer team to investigate the incident.
“What we have right now is an unauthenticated copy of a video circulating online. The video seems to show the barangay captain in a dimly-lighted area along with several others when PNP personnel chanced upon them in a drinking spree,” said Gealon.
Gealon said that RA 6713 requires public officials and employees to “at all times be accountable to the people and shall discharge their duties with utmost responsibility, integrity, competence, and loyalty, act with patriotism and justice, lead modest lives, and uphold public interest over personal interest.”
CLO’s investigation will be made in addition to the investigation ordered by Police Colonel Hector Grijaldo, chief of the Cebu City Police Office, who said in an earlier interview that he would not let the incident pass even if it involved a government official.
Read: Probe on for barangay captain ‘resisting arrest and getting away with it’
Monares, in a separate interview, denied that he was drinking Sunday night, March 22, 2020. He also clarified that he was not arrested by the police.
The village chief said that he came from the distribution of relief goods to fire victims in Oppra when he decided to pass by the Kamputhaw residence of a “female friend,” who was then celebrating her birthday.
Monares said that he dinned with his female friend and members of her family. But he denied drinking liquor.
In fact, he said that he even asked people whom he saw drinking outside of the gate his friend’s residence to go inside to avoid getting caught for the violation of the city’s curfew ordinance.
“Giingnan man gani nako sila nga mosulod kay hapit na ang curfew,” he said.
(I even told them to get inside because the curfew’s implementation is about to start.)
Monares said that while he was inside his friend’s house, there were still those who opted to stay outside of the gate which caught the attention of roving Kamputhaw barangay tanods.
As tanods were about to bring two men to the Abellana Police Station, Monares said he tried to intervene on the request of their respective families, who sought his help.
Monares said he reasoned with the tanods that there was no need to arrest the two since they were merely sitting outside of the gate. They could have just been told to go inside.
“Ang ako lang sad ato kay dili deretso dakpon. Iexplikar sa ang curfew, hatagan silag chance mouli kay naa ra baya sila sa bisbisan sa balay,” said Monares.
(I was just asking the tanods not to arrest the two men. Tanods should have explained the curfew implementation because they were just sitting near the gates and could easily go back inside.)
But Kamputhaw barangay councilor Ramir Salonoy gave a different version of the story.
Salonoy, who witnessed the confrontation, said that Monares had told the tanods that he was already on his way home after attending the birth celebration.
His office staff even took a video to document the confrontation, he said.
Monares could be heard on the video talking to someone, whom he addressed as “major,” regarding his arrest for curfew violation.
But the Kalunasan barangay captain denied that he was abusing his authority and using his influence to get him off the hook. He said that he merely intervened in the arrest of the two men who were with him on the birthday celebration because it was what any public official was supposed to do. / dcb