Respondent in Rep Dalog libel case denies charges

By Gina Dizon

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- Responding to libel charge filed by Rep. Maximo B. Dalog against respondent private citizen Salvador Liked from Bauko, the latter denied his personal involvement in publicly distributing the letter-complaint he personally sent to Secretary Ronaldo Puno of the Department of Interior and Local Government.

Liked in his letter- complaint to Puno, April 16 of this year requested for an investigation of alleged land-grabbing and corruption committed by then governor Dalog.

In Liked’s counter-affidavit filed here at the provincial fiscal’s office last July 28, he stated that Juniper Dominguez in his affidavit, known to be the spokesperson for Volunteers Against Corruption, was the one who gave barangay captain Jimmy Cajigan of Abatan, Bauko a copy of said letter -complaint and not the respondent whom Cajigan attested in his affidavit in favor of Dalog.

Liked also claimed businessmen Jeoffrey Malecdan and Russel Tupac, witnesses testifying for Dalog along with barangay captains Pedro Walisen and Jose Palangyos were reportedly known to be “recipients of favors from the complainant."

To support his claim on Dalog's alleged landgrabbing, Liked alleged that Dalog caused in his (Dalog) name a tax declaration covering a parcel of land which he bought from a certain Pepe Napat-a allegedly with a “bloated six hectares instead of 240 square meters”.

Earlier, an area measuring 1,000 square meters located at Cagubatan, Tadian was the subject lot of a memorandum of agreement entered into between the provincial government and Dalog as owner of said lot.

In the agreement approved by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Mountain Province in 2007, Dalog allowed the provincial local government unit to utilize the said lot as a “demo farm inclusive of an access road and parking space and for other scientific research activities of the province.”

Liked alleged in his counter-affidavit that the said lot measuring 1,000 square meters was also planted with bugnay trees.

The 1,000 square meter lot, apparently part of a lot measuring 26,843 square meters was secured from an extra judicial settlement of estate and simultaneous sale by heirs Estefania Napat-a, Teresita Napat-a, and Andrew Napat-a who likewise “abandoned whatsoever rights or interests in favor of Maximo B. Dalog, henceforth being the absolute owner of the lot” for a sum of P 33,000.00.

Liked said “to entertain the libel charge would give the wrong signal to citizens who otherwise are vigilant in bringing the appropriate complaint to seek redress against erring public servants”.