By Mortz C. Ortigoza
In the food security event yesterday held at Barangay Holy Spirit in
Quezon City (damn, the village has 250, 000 population that could shame the
demography of cities in the country) graced by the Department of Interior &
Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjur Abalos and Undersecretary Fel
Valmocina - the 20 years multi-millionaire Kap of Holy Spirit -, I joined
Secretary Abalos' second cousin Binmaley Mayor Pete Merrera and his older
brother Butch after Secretary Abalos invited them to join him there.
When we stepped down from our vehicles around eight o’clock in the morning, cordial staff of the two officials were there to greet us and ushered us to go in a function room of the huge village’s local government unit.
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| INTERIOR and Local Government Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. Photo credit: Manila Times |
They knew the Merreras because they were at the Binmaley grand fiesta –
the biggest in terms of crowd who attended the revelry in the Bay Walk. It was
graced by Secretary Abalos and his father Mandaluyong Mayor Ben Abalos (a former Judge, former Commission on Election
Chief, and cousin of the mother of the Merreras – a retired Judge) that saw
Pangasinan Mayors and Governor, the top brass of the police in the region and
the province, and the “who is who” of the four province’s Region-1 “scrambled”
to attend because the Hizzoner of the coastal first class town had the chutzpah
to dial his phone and persuade powerful pinsan Benhur and Tito Ben to come.
“He is Mortz Ortigoza our media man in Pangasinan,” Butch and the Mayor introduced me to Undersecretary Valmocina and Sec. Abalos man Friday DILG Legal Honcho Attorney Ferdie Buendia.
“Are you related Attorney to (top
Pinoy rock band) Eraserhead’s front man Ely Buendia?” I posed to the
Ilocano from Cagayan province.
He answered in the negative.
“Pupunta kami sa Dagupan (City)
this week. Iimbestigahan namin ang Kapitan diyan na involved sa demolition,”
he told me.
When I queried what did the coastal barangay chairman has done, he told
me that a friend of Secretary Abalos who was constructing a beach house
complained to him that the Kapitan demolished his (her?) residence.
“His act was grave
abused of authority”.
He said despite the resident being sued by the Kap with a cyber-libel
after he took a video on the actuation of the Punong Barangay during the
demolition and posted it on Facebook it was of no moment because there was no
criminal case there.
“Besides, there was no nuisance per
se there,” Sec. Abalos’ legal officer Buendia added.
Nuisance, a legal word, means a person, thing, or circumstance causing
inconvenience or annoyance.
A nuisance per se is an act, thing, omission, or use of property which of itself is a nuisance, and hence is not permissible or excusable under any circumstance.
***
It can be recalled that the gung-ho Secretary Abalos suspended last
January 24 Pangasinan DILG Director Virgilio Sison who directed the Bayambang
Police to conduct an investigation on the suicide of farmers in that town.
“Hinihintay ko yung explanation ng
DILG [Pangasinan head], bakit siya gumalaw nang hindi ko alam on a provincial
level? Inaalam ko rin yun. I am just awaiting for explanation lang,” Abalos
told reporters.
The
brouhaha started when Bayambang onion farmer Merly Gallardo complained to
Senator Imee Marcos that cops in the town harassed her after she told the
Senate hearing that at least five onion farmers including her husband in
Pangasinan had committed suicide when the peasants could not pay their debts
because of the spike of the prices of fertilizers and other expenses on their endeavor.
“Hands off lang po sa mga testigo ng Senado!
Natatakot na ang mga magsasaka ng sibuyas sa biglaang pagkakatok ng pulis
kagabi hanggang ngayong umaga upang papirmahin ng sinumpaang salaysay na
nagbabaliktad sa kanilang ibinunyag sa Senado noong Martes,” a livid Marcos said.
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