Digul Gullas, 2 friends sued for alleged mauling

Ralph “Raffy” Abadilla (standing right) and his lawyers file a case of serious physical injuries against Talisay City Councilor Eduardo “Digul” Gullas III and two of his friends in the office of Cebu City prosecutor Simaco Labata. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)

A 34-year-old graphic artist has filed a complaint against Talisay City Councilor Eduardo “Digul” Gullas III and two other men for allegedly mauling him inside a  pizza outlet in Barangay Kamputhaw, Cebu City last month.

Accompanied by his lawyer, Ralph Abadilla yesterday requested the Cebu City Prosecutors’ Office to conduct an investigation against the respondents on charges of serious physical injuries.

“I am still traumatized. Almost every day, if someone asks me about the incident, I instantly get nervous,” Abadilla told reporters.

Named respondents in the complaint he filed were Digul, Danton Adarna, and an unidentified man.

Digul, the grandson of former Rep. Eduardo Gullas of Cebu’s first district and the brother of Rep. Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas, said he has yet to receive a copy of the complaint.

“Nevertheless, I welcome this development. I think it would be proper to thresh out the issues in a proper forum and I am ready to prove my innocence,” he said in a press statement.

In his affidavit, Abadilla said he and his friends gathered at Calda Pizza along Aboitiz Street in Cebu City during the Sinulog celebration last Jan. 17.

At around 9 p.m., while he was on his way to the establishment’s comfort room, Abadilla said he saw three men in the hallway.

After using the comfort room, he said he went back to their table when someone suddenly punched him at the back of his head.

When he turned around, Abadilla said the man punched him on the face.

“The strong punch sent me in pain to the floor. I tried to get up but several more punches hit me on the back of my head,” he said.

While lying on the floor, the man’s companions, he said, continued to punch him.

“Everything happened so fast that I was not even able to shout for help from my friends.

While he recognized the faces of those who mauled him, Abadilla said he didn’t know their identities.

His friends later informed him that the man who punched him on the face was Digul while the other one was Adarna whose family owns a motel chain in Cebu.

Abadilla, a resident of Barangay Pardo in Cebu City, said he sustained bruises in different parts of his body.

He said he was afraid to file charges against the respondents who belong to influential families.

“But my relatives and friends encouraged me to file a case against my attackers after knowing of their history of violence,” Abadilla said.

Digul, on his part, denied mauling the complainant, saying the accusations leveled against him are “fabricated.”

He said it was Abadilla who “assaulted” him and his girlfriend, who also filed a case against the complainant.

“Whatever Mr. Raffy (Abanilla) is up to, I have no idea. He might have in mind that he could use this case as a leverage on the case filed by my girlfriend against him,” he said.

Digul is hoping that the truth will soon come out.

“I believe that whatever is fair and true will come out in the halls of justice. I stand by the truth and I will defend myself in any action that is maliciously hurled against me,” he said.