Ex-Mayor Camacho Denies His Arrest

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

BAYAMBANG, Pangasinan – A former mayor of this central Pangasinan’s town vehemently denied in an official statement that he was arrested by the police because of the warrant issued by the Sandiganbayan. He said it was conjured by his political adversaries to destroy his name and reputation.

“Upon knowledge of the charges filed against me, I surrendered myself before (the) law enforcement and posted bail on November 2, 2022, in accordance with due process of law”.

He said that his posting of the bail bond in the court was the start of his legal battle.

BAIL. Former Bayambang Mayor Ricardo Camacho (extreme right, photo) filled up a document in the Regional Trial Court as part of his mugshot and bail bond so that he could not be detained in a government jail. Camacho and his Chinese accomplice’s Chinese businessman Willy L. Chua (center) have been charged in the Sandiganbayan for violating the Anti-Graft & Corrupt Practices Act due to the unlawful transfer of the Bayambang Central School (BCS) after it was gutted by fire. The local government of the town exhausted all legal remedies to re-acquire the BCS that was conveyed to Chua by then mayor in exchange of his (Chua) property in Bical village. (Photo Credit: Janice Hidalgo)

 “I will face this legal battle with courage, knowing that justice will prevail. I believe in due process and the legitimacy of our courts. In time, I will be acquitted of all charges,” he disclosed on his official statement posted at the social media.

According to the November 7 post in the official Facebook page of this town’s Mayor Mary Clare Phyllis “Niña” Jose-Quiambao, former mayor Camacho and his Chinese’s accomplice’s Willy L. Chua have been nabbed by the police due to the warrant of arrest issued by the Sixth Division of the Sandiganbayan.

 Camacho and Chua underwent police booking last November 2, 2022.  In another photo that proliferate in the social media’s Facebook, the mugshot of Camacho had a heading’s Bugallon Police Station. It was not explained why they were in that police station – an hour rides to this town.

Both were criminally charged with the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act on their participation in the unlawful transfer of the Bayambang Central School (BCS).

Chua owns the chains of 168 stores  that sell cheap Chinese products in various towns and cities in Pangasinan.

He owns other commercial ventures.

Camacho warned those who share his and Chua’s blurred photo in Facebook that they are libelous.

“I remind everyone to exercise caution as they read the clearly libelous post made against me. These allegations are not gospel truth; they are fabricated and misleading information deliberately reported to deceive each and every Bayambagueno”.

The BCS located in the poblacion area was suspiciously gutted by fire in the wee hour of June 2012. It included a 1912 American era building dubbed as Gabaldon which is protected against human destruction under the Heritage Law of the Philippines.

Former Parents Teacher Association President Filipinas Alcantara told Northern Watch Newspaper in January 30, 2016 that when she met former Department of Education Secretary Armin Luistro, the latter told her that the Gabaldon was either demolished or burned.

Upon assumption into office in June 30, 2016, then Mayor Cezar Quiambao – the spouse of the present Mayor Mary Clare Phyllis “Niña” Jose-Quiambao – had exhausted all legal remedies to re-acquire the BCS which was disadvantageously conveyed with swiftness to Chua by his predecessor then Mayor Camacho in exchange of his (Chua) property in Bical village.

On May 27, 2016, Chua filed a case against the municipal government demanding for the immediate conveyance of the old site of the school or writ of specific performance before the sala of Regional Trial Court Judge Hermogenes Fernandez.
On June 27, a month after the filing of the case, Judge Fernandez handed down the decision in favor of Chua who immediately filed for a writ of execution on July 20.
On August 9, the writ of execution was granted to Chua, citing a Deed of Exchange signed by him and Camacho on August 13, 2013.
On August 30, 2016 , Mayor Quiambao filed a Petition for Relief from Judgment citing that the swapping of land was a “lopsided deal between former Mayor Ricardo Camacho and Mr. Willy Chua and that the land swap did not observe the legal procedures as mandated by law.”
“We want the local government to regain the property. Chua lied to the court and we want the judge to know what happened – that there was fraud in the case filed,” he said.

It will be recalled that sometime in August 2013, under the administration of former Mayor Ricardo Camacho and with the help of the Provincial Legal Officer Geraldine Baniqued, the 3.1 hectare old campus – a prime real estate property which was conservatively estimated at the time to be worth P465 million– was ‘swapped’ with a 2.2 hectare property in Bical village worth P16 million with a 60-classroom building valued at around P62 million, or a total of around P76 million only, which is owned by Chua.
The 3.1 hectare campus was abandoned when the court ordered the school officials to transfer to the new campus in October 2013 citing the cases of dengue at the time and the perennial flooding in the area during the rainy season.
In November 2014, Bayambang PTA President Alcantara filed a case to invalidate the land swap at the Office of the Ombudsman but lost because Chua said that there was no deed of exchange between Chua and the LGU represented by then mayor Ricardo Camacho.

Quiambao, however, said that there was a signed contract between Chua and Camacho dated August 13, 2013.
“The signed contract for the land swap did not go through the acceptable public bidding process and approval by the Sangguniang Bayan. We even discovered at least three fraudulent signatures. Moreover, the timing between the purported Sanggunian approval and signing of contract raises a lot of suspicion. In other words, the whole thing was done in bad faith. Former Mayor Camacho lied to the people of Bayambang,” Quiambao said.

Quiambao further said that the town lost to Chua and company because Bayambang’s local government unit lawyer Provincial Legal Officer Geraldine Baniqued, “surrendered the ball to the other side.”
“She did not even inform me of the legal developments on the case, so the window of opportunity for the municipality under my administration to make a legal response lapsed. The result was we woke up one day to this totally unpleasant surprise just when we were about to get more hopeful for an eventual takeover,” he said.

Mayor Jose-Quiambao in her October 14, 2022 First 100 Days Report held at the event center here said that former provincial legal officer Baniqued was fined with her three months’ salaries because of her negligence to defend the LGU on the issue of the BCS.

“It is the earnest hope that the court process will go on accordingly and that the truth, which has been long overdue, will soon come out and finally prevail,” excerpt of the message posted at the Facebook by the Balon Bayambang – the official page of Bayambang Mayor Jose-Quiambao – where the photos of the mugshots of Camacho and Chua were integrated.

The Ombudsman had indicted Mayor Camacho and Chua on July 27, 2022 because of their conspiracy to violate the Anti-Graft and Corrupt and Practices Act, excerpt in the vernacular of the First 100 Days Report of Mayor Jose-Quiambao in October 14 held at the event center of the local government unit.

“Asahan ng bawat Bayambangueños na ilalaban ng administrasyon ang paaralang nabibilang sa bawat isa sa atin,” the young mayor added.