Akbayan party-list representative Tom Villarin sued former Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) lawyer and now Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Undersecretary Jacinto Paras because of an unusual reason.

CCTV Footage shows DOLE Undersecretary Jacinto Paras greeting Villarin. It also shows that he put his phone at the top of Villarin’s gadget. Photo: House of the Representatives.

In his theft complaint that he filed to the Quezon City prosecutor’s office, the fierce critic of the Duterte administration claimed that Jacinto, who’s a supporter of the President allegedly stole his expensive phone during a congressional hearing last March.

CCTV footage shows that Paras already carried the phone of Villarin.

According to the testimony of Villarin, the DOLE exec who’s holding a phone and power bank approached him during the congressional hearing, later on, Paras placed his phone on top of Villarin’s expensive gadget.

“Kayo pala ni Senator [Risa] Hontiveros ang magkasama.” Paras told Villarin according to the complainant.

Paras left the hall together with Villarin’s phone.

When Paras left the area, the CCTV showed that the DOLE exec was already carrying the phone of the lawmaker.

After realizing that his phone was missing, he asked his staff to call his phone, later on, it was answered by a member of the Legislative Security Bureau (LSGB).

It also showed in another CCTV footage that Paras left the phone of Villarin in one of the rooms at the House of the Representatives.

Villarin believed that the intention of Paras for stealing his phone is to gather information that he may be used against Senator Risa Hontiveros who’s also a member of Akbayan.

“Yes, possibly that’s the main motive why he wanted my phone, to get information,” Villarin said.

Villarin pointed out that if Paras only mistakenly took his phone, he will return it to him or surrender it to the authorities and not leave it in an empty hall.

“Kung talagang nagkamali siya, dapat sinagot niya. Nagri-ring eh, pero hindi sinagot, iniwanan lang. Kung hindi sa kanya ‘yun, he could have answered [the call] and said, ‘Sorry, nadampot ko lang.’ Pero walang ganun,” he said.

According to Article 309, any person guilty of theft shall be punished by:

1. The penalty of prision mayor in its minimum and medium periods, if the value of the thing stolen is more than 12,000 pesos but does not exceed 22,000 pesos, but if the value of the thing stolen exceeds the latter amount the penalty shall be the maximum period of the one prescribed in this paragraph, and one year for each additional ten thousand pesos, but the total of the penalty which may be imposed shall not exceed twenty years.

Paras denied the accusations of Villarin, saying that he cannot do such a thing.

The former VACC lawyer is known for filing cases against the government officials who are seen to be part of destabilization efforts against President Duterte.

President Rodrigo Duterte, despite his old age, managed to punish the alleged scammers who claimed that he and the scammer “have the same mother.”

In his speech during his visit at Tabagon town fiesta in Cebu, Duterte narrated how he confronted and punished the individuals who used his mother’s name to sell government position when the revolutionary government already implemented.

“Oo may revolutionary government si Duterte, kung gusto mo ng posisyon magbayad ka lang,” Duterte said while narrating how the scammers trying to convince people to give them money.

But there’s a thing that made Duterte furious that he ordered his guards to hunt for them.

“Nung nabasa ko, tinawag ko na yung sundalo at sabi ko dalhin niyo yang p***** i***** yan dito. ‘Bakit daw’ Kasi ang nanay ko kagalang galang na babae pero pinalabas nila na nagkaroon ng anak sa ibang lalake,” Duterte said in Cebuano.

“Oh diba, parang pinalabas nila na yung nanay ko nangaliwa? P***** ***. Sabi ko dalhin niyo yan dito,” he added.

According to Duterte, the alleged scammers received their first punishment by receiving some punches and slaps from him; however, he wanted them not to forget the lessons that he received from the Punisher.

“Sabi ko, ‘etong kape, kumukulo pa.” Tapos sabi niya, ‘Sir, pakiusap wag kasi meron akong diabetes’. Oh may Diabetes ka? Buti sinabi mo sakin’.”

“So nilagyan ko ng kape yung tasa, tapos kumuha ako ng mga condiments, yung puti at brown na asukal saka dairy. Nilagay ko lahat ng asukal doon sa baso tapos hinalo ko gamit yung daliri ko’.

“Inumin mo yan,’May Diabetes ako, sir’.Inumin mo’.’Sir,mainit pa masyado’.’Sige magreklamo ka pa ng isang beses p***** i*** k* babarilin kita sa ulo tapos itatapon ko katawan mo sa Pasig River’. So ayon ininom niya.”

He even let one of the scammers eat paper bills to learn his lesson.

“Tapos yung isa tumitingin lang. Yung natirang kape ibinuhos ko sa mukha niya. Tapos sinabihan ko yung mga guwardiya, ‘bigyan niyo ko ng kwarta’. So sila bunot naman ng kwarta. May tig bente, may tig singkwenta, at yung isa 100 pesos. Makikita mo talaga wala silang pera kasi kulubot yung papel. Ginusot ko yung pera tapos ipinasak ko sa (bibig niya).. Pinakain ko sa kanya. ‘Eto, kainin mo’.”

“Tapos yung isa, may nahugot na barya kaya kinuha ko rin.’Mayor baka bumara yan sa tiyan ko’. ‘Yan talaga ang gusto ko para hindi na kayo manloko, mga p***** ***. Ngayon hindi na talaga kasi laging pakiramdam ay busog ka na kasi merong nakabara diyan,”

“Tapos sinabi niya, ‘Maawa ka na sakin, mayor. Mahirap lang ako. Wala akong pera pang pa opera. Yung barya talagang babara yan,”

After narrating, he warned the other scammers using the government to extort money that they would receive the same punishment that he did to the two guys.

He told the people that one of the scammers that he punished came from Cebu.

Duterte is known for being strict and allegedly giving cruel punishment to criminals even during his time as Mayor of Davao City.

That is the reason why he’s the favorite politician of several human rights groups.

But despite publicly speaking about how he punished criminals, his critics failed to gather any solid evidence that the former Mayor of Davao is indeed giving inhumane punishments.