OUR FAULT, our grievous fault.
We mean an item we wrote in our column for the last Saturday and Sunday issue of this newspaper’s online edition. Yes, we mentioned the exoneration by a Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Manila of ousted Negros Oriental Congressman Arnulfo Teves from a murder case.
We immediately wrote about it without first waiting for details, as these were not included in the initial social media post we read last Friday, early afternoon.
We assumed it was the murder charges file against Teves in connection with the massacre that happened where the late Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo was killed with several others. Teves was the immediate suspect as mastermind.
His flight or escape to another country led to his subsequent ouster from the Lower House. Formal murder charges were filed against him when he was finally extradited back to the Philippines.
With Teves widely known as the accused in the Degamo murder case, we were quick to assume – and quite wrongly – that his acquittal was that of the murder case of the slain Governor Degamo. The acquittal was for an earlier murder rap that was filed against Teves for the death of a bodyguard of one of the former Congressman’s political opponent
When we learned through a subsequent post on social media on Friday evening, our column was already processed in the online edition. It was too late for us to make the necessary revision or even have the same excluded from the issue.
So, with this major omission on our part, we would ask for the indulgence of our readers for the misleading item. Indeed, we are very sorry for our mistake.
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So, one of the country’s multi-millionaires and gambling lor,d Charlie “Atong” An,g is now also one among the country’s leading fugitives?
Yes, Ang has been issued a warrant of arrest in connection with the disappearances of over thirty “sabungeros” or cockfight aficionados. The millionaire’s firearms licenses are also reported to have been revoked by the police.
According to reports posted on social media as well as those that came out in the mainstream media, the law enforcers are still clueless as to the whereabouts of Atong.
Maybe so. What with Ang’s many houses with which to hide from the pursuing law enforcers? And what about the multi-million pesos at his disposal? With his money easily he can make those knowledgeable of his whereabouts close their eyes or shut their mouths. The same resources can also make law enforcers shift to another direction instead of going straight to where Ang is hiding.
It is not even remotely possible that Ang’s money can make witnesses against him change their testimony. And remember, even with the licenses of Ang’s possessed firearms are revoked, the firearms are still with him and his henchmen. These are not surrendered and therefore ready for their use when the situation demands.
Moreover, with Atong’s multi-million, the country’s top and shrewdest lawyers will not hesitate to invent their own interpretation of existing criminal laws, all for the sake of their moneyed clients. Ang is definitely one of them.
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Public transportation operators and private vehicle owners are grateful to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for its unceasing restoration of the stretch of the Davao-Bukidnon Highway that was destroyed after a landslide occurred somewhere in sitio Capulot, barangay Palacapao.
The DPWH XI announced the stretch was already passable to vehicular traffic last Wednesday, January 14. The reopening was preceded by an inspection visit of the restored stretch by no less than DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon and Bukidnon-son Sen. Migz Zubiri.
But did the destruction and damage of the highway really resulted to a P40 million loss in the economy daily? Senator Zubiri said that the loss was due to the disruption in agricultural trade and tourism.
It was a good thing that the DPWH was able to have the restoration of the landslide section completed in just a period of two months instead of the estimated one-year work duration.
Imagine how big the economic loss would have been at P40 million daily!
We just hope “walang cut dito.”
