Poe’s backer hits text blast he defected to Duterte

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

DAGUPAN CITY – A major supporter of presidential aspirant Grace Poe assailed the person behind the malicious text blast to mobile phones that he defected to the camp of Poe’s rival Rodrigo Duterte.

Abono Party-List President Rosendo So (right front row) and
presidential aspirant Grace Poe (extreme left) in a coaster
bound to the venue of the 3rd Presidential Town Hall
Debate held in Dagupan City last April 24.

Engineer Rosendo So, the chairman of anti-smuggling Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG), denied the hoax perpetrated to the people in Pangasinan that he joined forces with Duterte two weeks before the May 9 election.

“Alam natin na si Senadora Grace Poe sinusuportahan natin e and wala naman ibang presidentiable na sinusuportahan (Everybody knows that I supported Grace Poe and nobody else for the presidency),” he stressed.

According to the data for the 2016 national and local election of the Commission on Election, the 44 towns and four cities’ Pangasinan has a 1,705,260 voters.

The text blast, according to So, was machine generated so it could reached as many voters in the vote- rich province.

The short messaging system (SMS) called the people in and outside of the venue of the 3rd and last Presidential Town Hall Debate held at this city last April 24 for a meeting with Mr. So at a certain location.

The SINAG chief said those who were responsible for that assailable deceit  worked with the closed rival of Poe.

Lately, So and SINAG reiterated their accusation to Duterte’s incomptency to stop the unabated smuggling of rice in Davao City.

SINAG on Tuesday said they do not expect Duterte to make good his promises, especially on solving crimes like smuggling since the mayor’s chief political strategist Lito Banayo was implicated in the illegal traffic of rice.

“And to think that rice smuggling is supposedly one of Duterte’s pet peeves,” So told Philippine Daily Inquirer last April 20.

Although the camp of Duterte vehemently denied Banayo worked for them, So said that in the April 24 presidential debate here, he saw Banayo with Duterte as part of the limited company of the latter who were allowed inside the debate’s venue.

In the earlier visit of Duterte here, Banayo was seen at the group of the mayor.

When Banayo was the administrator of the National Food Authority in 2013 the Senate recommended that he be charged with graft and corruption because of the rice smuggling.

“This of course begs the question, why did ‘The Punisher’ tap Banayo—much less have a hand in running his campaign—if he’s serious about eliminating all criminals in a three-to-six month window?” the SINAG chair stressed.

So said the profanity laced talking Davao City mayor also made a threat against alleged rice smuggling's bigwig Davidson Bangayan, alias David Tan, if ever he sets foot in Davao City.

“Incidentally, Bangayan was the center of the Senate probe that also involved Banayo,” he said, adding that SINAG informants tell of Bangayan becoming a frequent visitor to Davao City lately.

“This is contrary to Duterte’s earlier warning to Bangayan not to dare enter the city,” said So. “Duterte even said that he would have no problem killing Bangayan if he ever sets foot on his beloved Davao.”

Bangayan was the owner of Starcraft International Trading Inc. that surreptitiously sneaked 167 vans or 83,500 cavans of illegally bought imported rice from Vietnam at the pier in Davao City.

The SINAG leader said Bangayan was the main beneficiary of the import permits the NFA granted during Banayo’s term.

SINAG gathers under its umbrella some 33 organizations of farmers, agri-business operators and party-list groups.

In February 2014, SINAG complained to the Supreme Court to investigate Davao City Regional Trial Court Branch 16 Judge Emmanuel Carpio for gross misconduct and “knowingly rendering an unjust judgment.”

Carpio is the uncle of the husband of Duterte’s daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio. The RTC judge is also the brother of Ombudsman head Conchita Carpio-Morales.

Mr. So said that Duterte was seen playing golf in the past with Judge Carpio.

SINAG alleged that Carpio should be held administratively liable for his order dated Dec. 12, 2013 allowing the release of the rice shipment of Starcraft International Trading Inc. 
The shipment was later sold to businessman Joseph Ngo.

Philippine Star’s quoted SINAG that the RTC order violated Republic Act 1937 revising and codifying the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines. The law gives the Bureau of Customs (BOC) exclusive jurisdiction over seized smuggled shipments.

“By issuing the Writ of Preliminary Injunction, the Respondent (judge) exercised a power that he did not have and encroached upon the exclusive original jurisdiction of the Collector of Customs,” the group stressed.