MANILA, Philippines – Vice presidential candidate Francis Escudero is set to file an electioneering case before the Commission on Elections against Philippine National Police generals who were seen in an apparent meeting with the Liberal Party.

Escudero said the generals committed a prohibited act when they allegedly met with the ruling LP April 2 in Novotel in Cubao, Quezon City.

“Kaya nga I think by tomorrow, we will be filing a case against the four PNP generals and other officers involved doon sa pagtitipon ‘di umano sa pangunguna ni General Cerbo, na nakipagpulong sa mga opisyal ng Liberal Party, partikular ng kandidatong si Ginoong Mar Roxas dahil mali, bawal, at hindi tuwid ‘yon,” Escudero told reporters in Laguna on Monday, April 11.

(That’s why I think by tomorrow, we will be filing a case against the four PNP generals and other officers involved in the meeting which was allegedly led by General Cerbo, who met with officials of the Liberal Party of candidate Mar Roxas. Because this is wrong, prohibited, and not right.)

The 4 PNP generals involved in the incident hold plum posts: one is the chief of the intelligence staff of the PNP (Director Generoso Cerbo Jr); 2 are regional directors (Chief Supt Renier Ido of Cagayan Valley and Chief Supt Bernardo Diaz of Western Visayas); and another is the deputy regional director of the vote-rich Calabarzon region (Chief Supt Ronaldo Santos). (READ: Roxas’ PMA ‘classmates’ say no politics in Cubao meet)

They are all members of Philippine Military Academy Class 1984 (Maharlika), who adopted Roxas as its member.

“At ang lakas pa ng loob nila sa hotel sa Cubao pa magtitipon-tipon at magpupulong. Pinaalis nga nila ‘yung mga waiter, pinalabas lahat ng waiter. Malas nila may meeting ‘yung media pala doon, hindi nila alam. Iyan ang hirap sa intelligence, minsan may fund sila pero wala naman ‘yung intelligence,” Escudero said.

(And they had the gall to meet inside the hotel in Cubao. They even asked all the waiters to leave. They’re just unlucky they didn’t know that members of the media also had a gathering there. That’s the problem with intelligence, sometimes they have the fund but they really do not have the intelligence.)

The Cubao complex is owned by the family of administration standard-bearer Manuel “Mar” Roxas II.

Both LP and the generals claimed there was no talk of politics in that meeting. The generals said they were in the hotel for personal meetings and that the LP campaign staff met in another floor in the hotel.

Escudero earlier said he wants PNP chief Director General Ricardo Marquez to relieve officials found to be engaging in partisan politics for the May 2016 elections.

With the absence of formal complaint, Marquez earlier said the generals should be “given the benefit of the doubt.” – Rappler.com