MANILA, Philippines - After she went missing for almost a
week, the wife of Camarines Norte Gov. Edgardo Tallado surfaced yesterday,
saying she had to hide out of fear for her life.
Josefina Tallado claimed she had to hide from her husband
who had threatened her on suspicion that she leaked a photo that surfaced
online showing the governor’s alleged mistress.
Tallado denied earlier reports that she was kidnapped in
Lupi, Camarines Sur last Friday.
“I am hiding and I was not kidnapped. I voluntarily left my
home because I feel I am not safe there anymore,” Tallado said in an interview
on ABS-CBN.
She said her husband confronted her on suspicion that she
posted the naked picture of the woman on Facebook.
“It happened last Wednesday when he confronted me and I saw
a gun tucked behind his waist. It was the first time I saw him very angry. That
was when I felt I had to leave,” Tallado said, adding she had known about her
husband’s affair for years.
Tallado said her husband accused her and her friend, Darlene
Francisco, of uploading the photo on Facebook.
She said she was accompanied by Francisco when she escaped
in a black Toyota Fortuner, which they abandoned in Lupi town.
The two women hitched a ride on a motorcycle to Naga City.
From there, Tallado bought a second-hand car and drove to Manila.
Governor Tallado earlier said his wife and Francisco left
for the town of Vinzons on Friday but never came back.
The vehicle was found abandoned in Lupi, prompting
authorities to suspect the governor’s wife and aide were kidnapped.
A police task force was formed to search for Mrs. Tallado
and Francisco.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II said
the police Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) and the Criminal
Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) had sighted Mrs. Tallado when she went
missing.
“There were sightings. We have A-1 sources, in fact one of
them involved the CIDG asking for a copy of CCTV, wherein she was seen in a
place and to ascertain she was really the person,” Roxas said.
According to Roxas, he spoke with Gov. Tallado about his
wife and he did not mention her disappearance.
“I asked him directly about the report of his missing wife
and the recovered vehicle and he claimed the vehicle could have just developed
engine trouble. He said they are not quarreling. He said his wife was only
accompanying her friend home,” Roxas said.
‘Compromising’
Lawyer Lorna Kapunan accompanied Tallado and Francisco
during the interview on ABS-CBN in Manila.
Kapunan said in the interview that the governor smashed his
wife’s laptop with the gun.
“She’s never seen this in the husband. The picture is
compromising. The supposed mistress was nude and masturbating. That was gross.
The governor and the mistress felt so ashamed that they suspected Mrs. Tallado
was behind the leak,” Kapunan said.
Francisco, for her part, said she saw the photo but denied
uploading it. She said the photo could no longer be accessed.
Kapunan said a barangay protection order was issued Monday
for Tallado. She did not reveal which barangay issued the order but she said it
was in Quezon City.
“There is a threat against her. Her life is under threat,”
Kapunan stressed.
Kapunan explained a barangay protection order could be
immediately issued without the need for a hearing.
Kapunan said she sought the barangay protection order for
her client to prevent the governor from getting near his wife.
Kapunan said the order also prevents the governor from
stalking or even sending threatening messages to his wife. She said the
governor could be jailed if he violated the order.
But even with the sanctions that the governor could face if
he violated the order, for someone in power such protection is “just a piece of
paper,” Kapunan admitted.
She said the barangay protection order is valid for 15 days.
Before it lapses, Mrs. Tallado would have to file for a temporary protection
order before the court, which will last for 30 days.
Following hearings, a court then decides whether a permanent
protection order could be issued.
Roxas said he will meet the lawyers and Gov. Tallado to find
out what really happened.
“This might be considered (a case of) women in crisis, we
will leave it to the authorities,” he said.
Roxas said authorities are willing to provide security if
Mrs. Tallado will request for assistance.
“But I don’t want to preempt her. The issues should be
resolved between the spouses and their lawyers. It is always a very sad
situation, domestic quarrels… if somebody could be involved, then we will file
a case,” he said
Source: www.philstar.com
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