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CEBU CITY, Philippines - A mall security guard arrested an agent of the National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI 7) after he figured in a scuffle inside a Cebu City mall on Tuesday.
Ayala Center Mall security guard Ellan Alcantara arrested Florante Gaoirin, 37, an NBI 7 Special investigator 3, outside the Terraces in Ayala Center Cebu.
Alcantara also collared the agent’s companion, Brandon Abon, 32, and their opponents - Riel Calinawan, 26, Odref Alatraca, 25, and Jimboy Villanueva, 25, of Barangay (village) Tisa.
He and other guards brought the group past midnight to the Mabolo police station where they were detained for most of the day.
Alcantara of Cherubin Security Agency told police that he only saw a man and two others scuffling with Gaoirin outside one of the establishments of the mall.
He said the men were fighting for possession of Gaoirin's gun.
One of the men managed to wrest Gaoirin's gun and later gave it to Alcantara.
Initial police reports said both groups had an argument inside Lemon Grass, a restaurant serving Thai and Vietnamese cuisine at the Terraces in Ayala Center Cebu.
According to a dyAB report, Gaoirin was with two companions inside the restaurant.
Trouble started when Gaoirin allegedly threw coins at the waiter of the restaurant.
Calinawan's group took pity on the waiter and allegedly told Gaoirin’s group to stop throwing coins at the waiter.
This started an argument inside the restaurant. Cooler heads intervened and Gaoirin and his companions left.
Calinawan's group also left later. But Gaoirin and Brandon Abon, 32, and an unidentified companion were allegedly waiting for them outside. An argument again ensued that led to the scuffle for the gun.
The scuffle destroyed some chairs outside the establishment.
At the police station, both parties agreed to settle their argument amicably.
They also agreed not to give details of the circumstances of the incident.
“Wala na kaming problema, naayos na namin to (There’s no problem. We have settled this already),” Gaoirin said.
He said that since it was a holiday on Monday, he was with his buddies.
“It was a weekend and we should spend it with friends,” he said.
He said he would not comment on what happened because the other group might also react.
He, however, denied that his service firearm, a .45 caliber pistol, was taken from him during the scuffle.
He claimed that he gave the gun to the security guard.
Mabolo police later brought both parties to a hospital for a liquor test but results were not available as of press time.
All of them, however, admitted that they had drank liquor.
They were released about 3 p.m. on Tuesday when no complaint was filed against the group.
Chief Inspector Claudio Casiban, Mabolo police chief, said he could not do anything but to release the group if both parties agreed to settle amicably.
Gaoirin's lawyer Danilo Yap, who was at the police station on Tuesday afternoon, said it was a minimal problem and he was confident that Ayala would not pin his client down as he and his friends were regular customers.
Police said Ayala Center management had also settled amicably with both parties.
The Ayala Mall management sent a text message to Cebu Daily News of its reaction to the incident.
The Ayala Malls group said the mall is just the venue of the scuffle and considers the incident “isolated.”
“This is an isolated incident. But as a preventive measure, we are beefing up security until closing time,” said Ayala Malls group head Clavel Tongco.
Ayala Center Cebu closes about 11 p.m. but some restaurants and coffee shops within the mall's new wing, The Terraces, close down at about 2 a.m. during weekends.
NBI 7 Chief Medardo de Lemos said that he would wait for whatever recommendation the police would make about the incident.
He said he would ask Gaoirin to explain first why he was involved in the incident.
“As of now, it's premature to do any action against Gaoirin,” he said.
He said the incident on Tuesday had nothing to do with any NBI operation. /With Reporter Cris Evert B. Lato and Correspondent Ador V. Mayol
