SHE SHOT THE SHERIFF!

‘I shot the sheriff’
By Jun Papa

AS Deputy Sheriff of the Regional Trial Court here in Naga City, I felt the blows that hit Sheriff Abe Andres of RTC Davao. So treacherous that they stunned the defenseless Abe who looked like he was shot with a hail of bullets. Davao Mayor Sara Duterte was still smiling when he summoned Abe to come nearer and while at a striking distance the lowly sheriff was suddenly pummeled by the lady mayor’s fist blows. The incident was witnessed through cameras and TV screens worldwide.

Various segments of society reacted. Some say it was the right thing to do for the mayor. “Buti nga sa kanya (Abe) at di siya pinatay.’” Social networking favors the mayor. She is the new idol of the masses. Human rights advocates, however, protested that Duterte went beyond what is civil. Prosecutors warned her position in government is at stake.

Avid fans of Mayor Duterte should better consider the facts: On the day of incident, there was no demolition yet that happened. Sheriff Andres gave in to her request to defer demolition. The engineers/surveyors conducted a survey of the area that morning. After the survey, the settlers insisted to suspend the demolition because they want their own surveyor. When the sheriff explained that a court order is needed for that purpose, the settlers started throwing homemade arrows, stones, and human excretes to the police and demolition team. When a policeman was hit by a homemade arrow, commotion started. That was the time the mayor arrived and (as we have seen in TV) started boxing the sheriff without hearing explanation from him.

The Sheriffs’ Confederation of the Philippines (SCOPHIL), Camarines Sur Chapter, which I am the president, strongly condemns the arrogant, criminal and contemptuous acts of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte by treacherously assaulting Sheriff Abe Andres of RTC Davao in front of the media, police officers, and the general public WHOSE ONLY FAULT WAS TO FOLLOW THE LAWFUL ORDER OF THE COURT. It created a notion to all that mayors have the power to disregard and trample upon lawful order of the court being implemented by sheriffs. As a result, her acts have caused humiliation and public ridicule to the sheriffs’ profession and blatant disrespect of the Court considering that she is a lawyer and public officer.

Mayor Duterte’s action revealed that our justice system is as weak as she can openly assault an officer of the court and defy its processes in the end. There is a lacuna in our penology system where the assailant (Mayor Duterte) cannot be prosecuted because the victim (sheriff Abe) had lost interest to prosecute possibly due to danger and fear for his life and his family from the awesome powers of the political kings and queens of Davao.

Jurisprudence shows that the Supreme Court is strict against sheriffs who do not do their job well. Sheriff Andres was just doing his job when his person and dignity were humiliated in front of the camera and the whole world. The Supreme Court should also castigate the mayor and order the judges to refrain from receiving allowances from the mayors so that Mayor Duterte would stop bragging about it. “Sana makuntento naman kayo sa malaking parte ng JDF at SAJ.” Otherwise, Mayor Duterte would, indeed, be proud to say: “I shot the sheriff!”


I would have to agree. That would be all, thank you!