Beneco, Casa Vallejo deals, gambling and an architect

BULLS’ HIT
Rudy Garcia

BAGUIO CITY -- Perhaps, Councilor Fred Bagbagen’s privilege speech of March 8 was his best ever when he lambasted fearlessly the Benguet Electric Coop. over their seeming non concern of spending too much to purchase a whooping millions for that 12,229.88 square meters two lots for construction of new buildings.

A negotiated deed of sale entered into by Beneco through its vice-president, Benny Bomogao as the buyer, and the Banco de Oro, Unibank, Inc. represented by executive vice-president Evelyn Villanueva and senior executive vice-president, Antonio Cotoco as the seller.

Bagbagen proved he was worth a committee chairman on education he painstakenly educated the top honchos of Beneco about what he called their moral and social obligations to their consumers and even quoted Shakespeare urging Beneco to be more transparent in its dealings: “Like to the glorious sun’s transparent beams.”

Good to note that we have one Fred Bagbagen who stood his way to block the said purchase of lots by the Beneco, “Mabuhay ka Apo Councilor” we support you! Give them what they deserve!
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Like a shallow water on the river, every Adam and Eve in this mountain resort city are trying to find the real answer on who really owns, the recently opened Casa Vallejo Hotel.

But just like previous times, we are trying to ask these questions to officials concerned. No clear answer had been issued or perhaps, our honorable officials are just too busy or pretending to be busy to avoid discussing the issue for reasons we don’t know.

Sad to say but we are wasting a lot of blah blahs on these thick-faced officials who don’t seem to find a little time to answer this issue once and for all. Nonetheless, election time is just around the corner and you know whom to dump. Better still. urge these pulpuliticos to change their careers from politics to marketing. They could be a great sellers and good for scouting buyers to be Ho! Ho! I bet my last centavo!
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How true is it that an illegal gambling den along Urbano St. in Baguio City has long been operating but is untouchable that even police or media people don’t dare to touch it.

According to my bubwit, this den features mahjong, tong-its and pusoy. Perhaps, authorities could ask anybody in that area if a certain Bernabe Lading who is reportedly the operator is or among the owners of Bernabe apartment where this illegal activity is operating.
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This prominent person in Baguio City who is an architect could now be trembling in fear after the Department of Justice finally resolved to have him charged in court for murder. Funny, but a resolution found to be fake was published in a local newspaper stating that the charge against him is dismissed. I could imagine how this reporter who wrote the said article could also be trembling for mistaken facts of the article. Kumbaga, nakoryente siya.

Whatever reasons maybe why he wrote that, it is interesting to know who his source was, or who gave him the information and why. To recall, a student at Saint Louis University who is about to graduate with honors was mercilessly gunned by two motorcycle riding assailants near the intersection of Trancoville and Rimando Road while the victim who was driving their van was accompanying his younger brother to school, years back.

A self-confessed lookout surrendered to a priest and later pinpointed the location of his co-accused who was found out to be the gunman. The two were surrendered by the priest and detained at the Baguio City Jail.

During investigation, the two admitted and pointed to the architect as the mastermind. A resolution was then issued by the Baguio City prosecutors office finding a probable cause to charge the two and the architect for murder.

But, this architect filed a motion for the case to be transferred at the regional prosecutor office in San Fernando, La Union. However, the regional prosecutor office affirmed the earlier resolution of the Baguio Prosecutors Office, hence, another motion was filed by the architect for the transfer of the case at Ilocos Prosecutor Office which overturned the two earlier resolutions.

Finding some kind of lutong macaw, parents of the victim sought help from the Department of Justice, but just as the resolution came out from the said department, a resolution coming from the same was published in an article but found out to be fake.

From the foregoing circumstances, it could be perceived that there are unseen hands out to make this architect out from the hook or it could be the architect himself, and funny for it seems money and connections are working to manipulate our justice system.

But god has its own way of ending everything that need to be stopped, and it was a relief for the victim’s parents to learn that the DOJ decided in their favor. Like them, it was also some kind of relief for parents like me of the decision by the DOJ.

We don’t want our children to be the next victim of this architect who is now aspiring for a seat at the City Council. Our trust on the wheels of justice system came back, after all.
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Again, my salute goes to police inspector Nestor Villena Cariño of Compact 3, station 7 of Baguio City Police Office. Because of his swift and fast decision in ordering his men to go after and arrest a certain Mac-mac Datu Pangsayaw who allegedly sold a stolen cell phone to a lady along the Center Mall area at Lakandula St., this led to the arrest and apprehension of the suspect.
Reports have it that the incident happened sometime 9 a.m, of March 2.

I would also like to commend SPO1 Henry Balawas and PO3 Edwin Reyes who immediately were able to collar the suspect. Kudos sa inyo mga Apo. How I wish there would be more of your kind in the police service.