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THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) has
placed on its hold-departure list Gov. Vicente Valera of Abra in
connection with the illegal weapons possession charges filed against
him before a Quezon City court.
Acting
Commissioner Roy Almoro disclosed Friday he issued the
hold-departure order (HDO) against Valera on February 12 in
compliance with an order from the Quezon City Regional Trial Court
Judge Ramon Cruz.
With the
issuance of the HDO, Almoro said, Valera would not be able to leave
the country unless permitted by the court.
In his
two-page order, Cruz dismissed the claim of Valera’s lawyer that
the HDO will violate their client’s constitutional right to
travel.
Cruz
maintained that it is the inherent power of the court to restrict
persons charged with crimes from traveling out of the country to
facilitate the speedy trial of their cases.
He added that
since Valera is out on bail, it is the court’s discretion to issue
the HDO, adding that prosecutors have submitted intelligence report
from the PNP that the accused planned to leave the country.
The travel ban
on Valera stemmed from the charges of illegal possession of
firearms, explosives and ammunition that were filed against the
governor after policemen arrested him in Quezon City on December 29.
He was
arrested after police officers manning a checkpoint inspected his
car that had no license plates and allegedly found firearms and
grenades inside.
Valera was
later released from jail on January 3 after he posted a P310,000
bail for his temporary liberty.
BI records
also showed that Valera had been on the immigration watchlist since
last Decembers 22 after he was linked to the murder of Abra Rep.
Luis Bersamin Jr., who was gunned down with his bodyguard outside a
church in Quezon City on December 16.
The watchlist
was then issued on orders of Justice Secretary Raul M. Gonzalez.
 --William
B. Depasupil
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