THE MAN who claimed he was the owner of a reported carnapped vehicle yesterday called on the Highway Patrol Group-11 to abide by the order of the court to turn over the vehicle to the custody of the Regional Trial Court of Misamis Oriental.
Romulo Bajada, who claimed he owned the Black Toyota Fortuner with plate YEH 301, told the Times in a telephone interview that he wanted the vehicle be turned over it to the court to pave the way for the speedy reinvestigation of the case.

Bajada said the law enforcers must follow the order of Cagayan de Oro City Region Regional Trial Court Branch 17 Judge Florencia Seala-Abbu ordering Supt. Gregorio Pimentel, head of HPG 11 to bring the vehicle to the court before March 10.
The order dated February 9 also threatened the HPG-11 with contempt if it fails to comply with the order.
Last month, Pimentel, SPO2 Arnold Sagabaen and PO1 Eddie Maruhom were ordered by the same court to the P10,000 fine, instead of a six-month imprisonment, for failing to implement the writ of replevin, a court order for the recovery of goods that are subjects of litigation.

The fine was the result of the indirect contempt slapped on the police officers.
Judge Abbu first issued the writ of replevin on the vehicle on October 13.
In the latest order, Abbu also junked the motion for reconsideration of Pimentel and the other officials on her order declaring them guilty for indirect contempt. In junking the motion for reconsideration, the judge pointed out that police officers failed to secure a legal counsel and that their motion was a “mere scrap of paper.”

The judge also told the police officers to pay the fine or face imprisonment. Otherwise, she added, they would face the possibility of being arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation which the court to implement its ruling.
The case started when the HPG-11 impounded the vehicle in October 2009. Sagaeben, who inspected the vehicle, said in his report that it had no Land Transportation Office sticker on its windshield and that the macro etching tests conducted at the Police Crime Laboratory showed the vehicle was carnapped.