TABUK CITY, Kalinga – In an article posted by Guru Press on June 2, 2022, it claimed that “a warrant of arrest could be served today, June 02, 2022, for Atty. Errol Comafay Jr.” which allegedly stemmed from a cyberlibel complaint filed by Tabuk City Mayor Darwin Estrañero against one of his staunch critics, referring to the latter.
The article went on to say that “in a phone interview, Comafay informed that he could be arrested anytime today. He explained that this stems from his criticisms against Mayor Estrañero’s management of funds during the pandemic when the Mayor allowed purchases of allegedly blatantly overpriced medical supplies.”
Mayor Estrañero sued Comafay and others in 2020 for cyberlibel for posting malicious materials and even spoke on a radio station to explicitly accuse the Mayor of malfeasance (supposed overpriced scanner during the peak of the epidemic) without factual evidence.
According to Estrañero, Comafay and others have made allegations on their social media accounts and other outlets, as well as in their radio appearances slandering him and destroying his good name.
In his Facebook page on June 2, 2022, Comafay posted this statement, “You can have me imprisoned. But you can never imprison the truth. You will never silence me. I will not stop exposing your abuses and corruption. If you really want to silence me, better that you have me killed. But I assure you, more will rise to resist you.”
A comment on the same post stood out which states “Letitia Angpao Elston.- Maria Yun Kalinga baka dayta tao nga gamrud ti maipapatay, awan maaramidan kwarta nu right ti tao ti apakan na karo nu adda suna ditoy Kalinga.”
It’s a cruel irony that Atty. Errol Comafay is now playing the “victim” after he and his group spent over two years smearing the mayor of Tabuk and making bogus claims. They’ve used a variety of media to portray a negative picture of the mayor and his administration, from social media to radio interviews to Guru Press interviews.
They have been relentless in their campaign against the mayor and those at the city government who do not share their narrative for nearly two years.
Estrañero took his case to court after becoming tired of their lies, bogus charges, and nasty, boorish, and irresponsible insults on social media. He felt that the rule of law would determine who is telling the truth, and that justice would be best served in the appropriate court.
And if, as the GURU Press story claims, a warrant of arrest will be issued for Atty. Comafay, then the individual who has been the target of nasty charges and unsubstantiated accusations for a long time, has now been vindicated. As a lawyer, Atty. Comafay should be aware of this. He should also be aware that the rule of law has provided justice where justice is deserved.
Some comments and messages include these phrases: “why are you crying foul now?” “why are you acting like a victim now?”
For after all, they had the opportunity to lash out at the mayor. They seemed to have so much fun with their freedom of speech but have probably forgotten that in exercising their right to free speech and expression there are consequences to everything said and done. And the repercussions are frequently as severe as the charges or accusations.
When asked for a comment on the social media posts, the mayor had these to say, “We kept quiet knowing the issue was already in the right court. We awaited the decision, and now that it has been made, we believe it is critical that we convey our statement.
“We believe this is a win for justice since my opponents and critics have seemed to lose sight of the concept of innocent until proven guilty for a long time.
“The Court found probable cause to hear my case, and I received my vindication today, so that people will know that the TRUTH will always come out, no matter how hard, cruel, or spiteful people try to drag you down.
“And I’d like to thank the people of Tabuk once more for placing their trust in me, despite all of the difficulties and obstacles my administration and I have faced.
We will continue to serve you and work toward our goal of a more peaceful, progressive, and developed Tabuk City.”
