Mayor tames 'Barangay Tondo' of Baguio City
>> Thursday, March 17, 2022
BEHIND THE SCENES
Alfred
P. Dizon
BAGUIO CITY – It took only a moment of Mayor Benjie Magalong’s time on Wednesday to “tame” what we may call “Barangay Tondo” of this summer capital. I’m actually referring to Barangay Lopez Jaena of Aurora Hill which had been troublesome over the years because of goons and drug addicts lurking behind jeeps and vehicles just below the barangay hall and terrorizing people.
***
What got the mayor’s attention on the matter was when the top barangay official held a meeting a day earlier with the mayor complaining that a balikbayan was making trouble and wanted him out from the area because he was always making trouble.
It turns out later, the barangay official sought an audience with the mayor (pinangunahan in Filipino) because he felt the heat being directed back at him because Aurora Hill police chief Col. Dayaw scolded him because of the issue.
Dayaw found out it was not the balikbayan who was making the trouble but goons reportedly under his influence and a drug lord of the area.
***
What the mayor did was make an unscheduled visit to the balikbayan’s house along with city police chief Col. Glenn Lonogan and had a talk with him.
The mayor patiently heard the side of the balikbayan, a retired immigration inspector of Los Angeles Airport in the US. and ordered police to address the issue.
This is the story of the balikbayan as narrated to Magalong, Lonogan and other barangay officials headed by the barangay captain who stayed at the back when the narrative started:
Sometime in January, goons pestered him to provide them drinks so he bought these at a nearby store which they drank in his balcony. After a drink too many, one of the four goons shouted at him “patayen ka (I will kill you).
This prompted him to throw bottles at them.
Somebody called the police and cuffed him so tight his hands were bloodied staining the street. At the police station, a desk officer punched him in the face, kicked his ribs and forcibly put him in the cell. He asked the police why it was him who was being held while the goons were laughing while he was being arrested. He said it was him who was threatened with death and he was just acting in self-defense.
He was later brought to the Baguio General Hospital for medico-legal examination and returned back to jail. He called a friend at midnight who came all the way from La Trinidad to look at his condition.
The friend told him, he will have him released the next day as police were holding him.
***
Anyway, the balikbayan told the mayor and chief of police the goons have actually been harassing, taunting and shouting at him for a fight every now and then and he was not the one starting fights as reported to him by the barangay official.
He said he came home to have a peaceful life after years of hard work in the US but he came home to a life of mayhem due to the people harassing him.
The balikbayan told city officials the trouble actually started when the barangay official took truckloads of stones excavated from his compound when he started building his house.
The barangay official insisted the stones were owned by the barangay due to road clearing. The balikbayan said this was not the case as he had the title and specifications to the property and this was not owned by the barangay.
***
After that, goons started to make trouble for him. Even the barangay official, with some men, a few days ago around 11 p.m. went in front of his house shouting at him. (We won’t name him so his name and his family won’t be tarnished publicly and he may reflect on his actions).
When police were called, they were reportedly looking at the scene from a distance. All the while somebody was video-shooting the incident.
When the police information officer was called again, they were told cops were there already. When told the police were not there but at distance observing the matter since it was live on video, the cops finally came down and asked the barangay captain to leave.
***
The neighbor told the mayor she had all the videos which showed it was the goons and the barangay official who started all the incidents by going in front of his house and harassing him all the time.
To cut the long story short, Magalong told police to address the issue – in other words, to make the barangay peaceful and and safe for residents. Without being asked, the mayor also gave his phone number to the balikbayan to call him in case there would be trouble again.
Lonogan made the finishing touches by talking to the balikbayan and instructing police to make sure the matter was settled and the barangay peaceful.
***
It is when public officials like Magalong and Lonogan personally reach out to constituents and look into their problems that folks feel protected that their concerns are being addressed. That is good governance and we congratulate the mayor for this.
So far, since the mayor’s visit, we have word that the goons don’t make ‘tambay’ on the street anymore and have not been harassing the balikbayan or terrorizing other folks.
“Imbag the nangyari dayta tapnu tumalda ti Lopez Jaena (It’s good this happened so Lopez Jaena will become peaceful),” a resident said. She said children are now playing while old women are now walking the street even after 7 p.m.
By the way, the friend who drove all the way from La Trinidad at midnight and attended to the balikbayan’s concerns was Yours Truly.
BEHIND THE SCENES
Appeal for a missing niece/Survey: Trust in academe, church, media, NGOs high
BAGUIO CITY – All along,
I thought the many cases of missing girls and young ladies in the summer
capital on social media were just cases of family squabbles, elopement among
other reasons until the matter struck close to home.
The spine-chilling speculation had been that some of these girls had been snatched and sold as sex slaves or their body parts sold to rich clients for kidney, liver or heart transplants. Other rumors have it that these girls are being held against their will by shabu-crazed drug addicts.
My niece Sharie, 17, had been missing since she went jogging Wednesday and took a cab at the Tam-awan area here around 3 a.m. basing from CCTV footage. The plate number of the taxicab could not be seen in the footage.
Sharie has not gone home since then to date. Her phone could not be reached. We urge people who may know what happened and report the matter to police who are requested to investigate the case.
Sharie is the daughter of lawyer Julius Fagayan of the regional Commission on Audit Office in La Trinidad, Benguet and Jennifer Pacyaya Fagayan, my cousin. Julius, former auditor at city hall, could be reached at cell phone no. 09399440858. Jennifer’s is 09774262251.
***
Trust in the church and the academe remained high at 91 and 90 percent while trust in the media and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) increased to 76 and 70 percent respectively, the 2021 Philippine Trust Index (PTI) revealed.
Trust for NGOs showed a 33 percent jump from 37 in 2019, while there was a 7 percent increase in trust for media.
Meanwhile, people's trust in the government remained steady at 76 percent while trust in businesses dropped by 5 percent, from 71 percent in 2019 to 66 percent in 2021.
According to the EON Group, the entity that conducted the 2021 PTI from August to September 2021, only 29 percent of the changes in respondents' trust ratings were influenced by their responses to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, while the other 71 percent can be attributed to their respective pre-pandemic performance.
Results of the survey also showed that other concerns of Filipinos amidst the Covid-19 pandemic include the government's hesitancy to impose lockdowns during the early stages of the pandemic, constant worry about the pandemic's long-term effect, fear of getting into a lifetime of debt due to hospitalization, and strain on their mental health due to fear of job loss or economic instability.
The pollster also noted that despite the vaccine rollout for the general public in the past months, hesitancy to receive the Covid-19 jab remained an issue, as misconceptions continue to proliferate among people, slowing down the efforts to achieve herd immunity among the population.
"With the Omicron-driven surge at the start of this year, a reminder that the country is still in the midst of a global health crisis, the need for the public to trust its institutions remains a priority. For their recovery initiatives to work, they need to earn the Filipinos' trust by doing better, especially in areas where they are perceived to be lacking," the EON Group said in a statement.
Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Undersecretary Kristian Ablan acknowledged the effect of the pandemic on Filipinos' trust in these institutions, noting that the results of the survey could help the government address these issues faced by the public. He added that these results could also guide the government in its decision-making process.
EON Group Chief Innovation Officer Mori Rodriguez emphasized that trust greatly depends on the kind of leadership in the institution. He said that strong leadership as shown through quick decision-making and timely actions matters most in gaining and maintaining public trust.
"It's important how an institution's leadership molds public perception. That's also why we do the PTI — it's not only to remind the public that their trust is important but also to help leaders realize that they have this huge responsibility to do what is right," Rodriguez said.
The EON Group conducted face-to-face interviews with 800 adult respondents nationwide who were selected randomly. Thirty percent came from the National Capital Region (NCR), 40 percent from the rest of Luzon, 15 percent from the Visayas, and 15 percent from Mindanao. Of the total respondents, 75 percent were from urban areas, while 25 percent were from rural areas.
Results of the survey have a sampling error of ±3 percent at a 95 percent level of confidence.
The spine-chilling speculation had been that some of these girls had been snatched and sold as sex slaves or their body parts sold to rich clients for kidney, liver or heart transplants. Other rumors have it that these girls are being held against their will by shabu-crazed drug addicts.
My niece Sharie, 17, had been missing since she went jogging Wednesday and took a cab at the Tam-awan area here around 3 a.m. basing from CCTV footage. The plate number of the taxicab could not be seen in the footage.
Sharie has not gone home since then to date. Her phone could not be reached. We urge people who may know what happened and report the matter to police who are requested to investigate the case.
Sharie is the daughter of lawyer Julius Fagayan of the regional Commission on Audit Office in La Trinidad, Benguet and Jennifer Pacyaya Fagayan, my cousin. Julius, former auditor at city hall, could be reached at cell phone no. 09399440858. Jennifer’s is 09774262251.
***
Trust in the church and the academe remained high at 91 and 90 percent while trust in the media and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) increased to 76 and 70 percent respectively, the 2021 Philippine Trust Index (PTI) revealed.
Trust for NGOs showed a 33 percent jump from 37 in 2019, while there was a 7 percent increase in trust for media.
Meanwhile, people's trust in the government remained steady at 76 percent while trust in businesses dropped by 5 percent, from 71 percent in 2019 to 66 percent in 2021.
According to the EON Group, the entity that conducted the 2021 PTI from August to September 2021, only 29 percent of the changes in respondents' trust ratings were influenced by their responses to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, while the other 71 percent can be attributed to their respective pre-pandemic performance.
Results of the survey also showed that other concerns of Filipinos amidst the Covid-19 pandemic include the government's hesitancy to impose lockdowns during the early stages of the pandemic, constant worry about the pandemic's long-term effect, fear of getting into a lifetime of debt due to hospitalization, and strain on their mental health due to fear of job loss or economic instability.
The pollster also noted that despite the vaccine rollout for the general public in the past months, hesitancy to receive the Covid-19 jab remained an issue, as misconceptions continue to proliferate among people, slowing down the efforts to achieve herd immunity among the population.
"With the Omicron-driven surge at the start of this year, a reminder that the country is still in the midst of a global health crisis, the need for the public to trust its institutions remains a priority. For their recovery initiatives to work, they need to earn the Filipinos' trust by doing better, especially in areas where they are perceived to be lacking," the EON Group said in a statement.
Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Undersecretary Kristian Ablan acknowledged the effect of the pandemic on Filipinos' trust in these institutions, noting that the results of the survey could help the government address these issues faced by the public. He added that these results could also guide the government in its decision-making process.
EON Group Chief Innovation Officer Mori Rodriguez emphasized that trust greatly depends on the kind of leadership in the institution. He said that strong leadership as shown through quick decision-making and timely actions matters most in gaining and maintaining public trust.
"It's important how an institution's leadership molds public perception. That's also why we do the PTI — it's not only to remind the public that their trust is important but also to help leaders realize that they have this huge responsibility to do what is right," Rodriguez said.
The EON Group conducted face-to-face interviews with 800 adult respondents nationwide who were selected randomly. Thirty percent came from the National Capital Region (NCR), 40 percent from the rest of Luzon, 15 percent from the Visayas, and 15 percent from Mindanao. Of the total respondents, 75 percent were from urban areas, while 25 percent were from rural areas.
Results of the survey have a sampling error of ±3 percent at a 95 percent level of confidence.
BEHIND THE SCENES
No kidnapping of missing persons in Baguio/ ‘Magalong
scam’ widens
BAGUIO CITY – Reports of
missing young ladies being abducted and sold as sex slaves or their body parts
surgically taken out for rich terminally ill patients have no basis at all.
The past few weeks had alarmed folks of this summer capital after Facebook posts reported of missing girls.
There is no evidence to conclude that the cases of missing persons in the city were incidents of kidnapping, according to Baguio City Police Office Director Col. Glenn Lonogan.
The police chief said of four cases investigated by the BCPO, one has been closed and one is nearing resolution.
Two are still being followed through but investigations showed no indications of abduction in all of the reported incidents, city information chief Aileen P. Refuerzo said, quoting the city police chief.
Lonogan said they are “also looking at reports of persons allegedly luring and coercing youths over promises of good-paying jobs and so far no link has been established between said reports and cases of missing persons.”
“Our office wants to assure the public that we are doing our best to investigate and resolve all these cases and we are appealing for their cooperation by paying extra attention to their and their family’s security," Lonogan said.
He said families should also strengthen their relationships to address problems on juvenile delinquency and truancy which is a concern now being addressed by the city government.
***
Related to this, I would like to thank those who in one way or another helped in locating my niece Sharie, 17 who had been missing on Feb. 23 when she took a cab at the Tam-awan area here when she went jogging around 3 a.m.
Sharie is the daughter of lawyer Julius Fagayan of the Regional Commission on Audit in La Trinidad and Jennifer Pacyaya Fagayan.
She has since returned home, but the family would like to keep what happened private.
***
Another report by the PIO said the Office of the City Mayor has warned that the "Magalong scam" has expanded to establishments outside the city after being notified by one restaurant in Sagada, Mountain Province of an anonymous call purported to be that of the city mayor and employing the same modus that had been used on some establishments in the city.
City Mayor's Office executive officer Philip Puzon said the restaurant staff members were told the city mayor and company were on their way to their place and wanted to reserve lots of food and drinks.
"This time they even requested for cellphone load as allegedly there were no stores along the road to load from," Puzon said.
"Such tricks are so dense and we trust that no establishment would be gullible to fall for them but we would want people warned just the same," Puzon added.
The past few weeks had alarmed folks of this summer capital after Facebook posts reported of missing girls.
There is no evidence to conclude that the cases of missing persons in the city were incidents of kidnapping, according to Baguio City Police Office Director Col. Glenn Lonogan.
The police chief said of four cases investigated by the BCPO, one has been closed and one is nearing resolution.
Two are still being followed through but investigations showed no indications of abduction in all of the reported incidents, city information chief Aileen P. Refuerzo said, quoting the city police chief.
Lonogan said they are “also looking at reports of persons allegedly luring and coercing youths over promises of good-paying jobs and so far no link has been established between said reports and cases of missing persons.”
“Our office wants to assure the public that we are doing our best to investigate and resolve all these cases and we are appealing for their cooperation by paying extra attention to their and their family’s security," Lonogan said.
He said families should also strengthen their relationships to address problems on juvenile delinquency and truancy which is a concern now being addressed by the city government.
***
Related to this, I would like to thank those who in one way or another helped in locating my niece Sharie, 17 who had been missing on Feb. 23 when she took a cab at the Tam-awan area here when she went jogging around 3 a.m.
Sharie is the daughter of lawyer Julius Fagayan of the Regional Commission on Audit in La Trinidad and Jennifer Pacyaya Fagayan.
She has since returned home, but the family would like to keep what happened private.
***
Another report by the PIO said the Office of the City Mayor has warned that the "Magalong scam" has expanded to establishments outside the city after being notified by one restaurant in Sagada, Mountain Province of an anonymous call purported to be that of the city mayor and employing the same modus that had been used on some establishments in the city.
City Mayor's Office executive officer Philip Puzon said the restaurant staff members were told the city mayor and company were on their way to their place and wanted to reserve lots of food and drinks.
"This time they even requested for cellphone load as allegedly there were no stores along the road to load from," Puzon said.
"Such tricks are so dense and we trust that no establishment would be gullible to fall for them but we would want people warned just the same," Puzon added.
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