Pulupandan

Yesterday, a press conference was held in the town of Pulupandan where an officer of the CIDG raiding team, last May 2, 2013, allegedly denied specifically that there is no truth to the report that two pounds of explosives were found in said residence.

CIDG SPO1 Rosendo Bersal, Jr. stated in his joint affidavit, dated May 3, 2013, together with his co-affiant SPO3 Jayvee Aglipay the following: "That the team led by PSI John A. Mocyat of PNP SAF then proceeded to the house of subject person but again were denied entry, elements of SAF climbed the concrete wall and cut the live wires attached above the fence and when the team gained entry, four persons at the guard’s quarters immediately scampered/ran away but were held by the team, at this juncture SPO3 Aglipay together with SAF elements disallowed them to escape. The team immediately searched the premises and at the guard’s quarter the SAF elements saw two (2) pcs. TNT 1/4 pound Max high explosives, two (2) pcs. shotgun, one (1) AK47 rifle and assorted ammunitions. SPO3 Aglipay effected arrest of the suspects and informed them of the reason of their arrest and immediately appraised them of their Constitutional rights. Arrested suspects identified as Manny Rio y Dublar, Joey Yunque y Carpentero, S/G Deolito Morancil y Suspeñe and Jimmy Castaños y Pasilan were then brought to the Negros Occidental CIDG for proper disposition and documentations while awaiting the filing of appropriate charges while the confiscated explosives, firearms and ammunitions were brought to the Bacolod Crime Laboratory (sic) ballistic examinations;"

BRGY. UBAY, Pulupandan — A total of 89 high-powered firearms, several thousand rounds of ammunitions and two military-grade TNT explosives were seized from the 2-storey ancestral house of the family of Pulupandan Mayor Magdaleno "Magsie" Peña in Barangay Ubay yesterday.

A composite team from the Philippine National Police, CIDG and NOPPO was able to seize various firearms and ammunitions at the ancestral house of Mayor Magdaleno Peña in Sitio Ubay, Pulupandan early morning yesterday. * (Owen Segovia Bayog photo)

Two policemen at the area chanced upon by PNP-CIDG operatives were immediately relieved, and two security guards at the guard post and six civilians in the Peña compound were brought for questioning in Bacolod City.

Camp Crame-based Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) operatives armed with a Regional Trial Court (RTC) order conducted the raid from 6 o’clock in the morning which lasted by 5p.m. CIDG operatives were backed up by Special Action Forces (SAF) men in coordination with the Western Visayas Police Regional Office 6 (PRO6) and Negros Occidental Provincial Police Office (NOPPO), CIDG Bacolod City and CIDG Negros Occ.

PNP Regional Director P/Chief Supt. Agrimero Cruz told mediamen here that the raid was by virtue of a search warrant issued by NCR RTC Branch 85 Judge Ma. Felomina Singh, Second Executive Judge, RTC, Quezon City.

Maintaining his sense of propriety, Provincial Legal Officer Jose Ma. Valencia yesterday chose not to show up for the boxing match with Pulupandan Mayor Magdaleno Peña upon the latter’s dare.

Peña showed up at the Provincial Capitol yesterday morning where he waited for Valencia at the Social Hall.

The mayor flexed his muscles before Capitol reporters and said he did not eat breakfast so he can be in good form for the boxing match.

But apparently, he waited in vain, for Valencia did not show up.

Valencia, who was in his office near the Governor’s Office, only laughed and shrugged his shoulders when asked by the media later on his comment on Peña’s actions.

In response to the statements of Provincial Veterinarian Dr. Renante Decena and Spokesperson and Chief of Staff to the Governor, Atty. Jose Maria Valencia, Pulupandan Magsie Peña reiterated that in tracing the overprice, one has to look into the price of sheep per head based on its market price in Australia and not make a comparison of how much it is being sold in the Philippine market by the other suppliers. The mayor added that the sources of Decena and Valencia were only selective of which they think will serve their end, that is to make their expensive sheep price quotation appear lower than those of the other alleged suppliers of imported livestock. The mayor said, "It is obvious that, to save face, Decena and Valencia would opt to quote only those sheep prices which they think will help them justify the "overprice." These guys should remember that the overprice took place in Australia as agreed upon between the capitol’s negotiators and its Australian supplier, as it is glaring that a Damara sheep that only costs AuD$65 or a rough P3,000.00 would eventually be paid for by the provincial capitol and the people of Negros Occidental for a whooping P16,000 to P25,000 per head plus other incidental costs. To prove his point, the mayor quoted the report of Mr. Matthew Young, the President of West Australia Sheep Breeder’s Society, in a newsletter stating that the "the prices quoted for DAMARA 38kg live weight are $65 Males and Females." The mayor also backed up his claim on an article written by Tanya Kilminster of the Department of Agriculture and Food, West Australia, Merredin stating that "All ram lambs were valued at $52/head and were saleable to the live export trade or domestic saleyards while the ewe lambs were valued at $40/head and saleable only to the domestic saleyards." From the sheep breeders in Australia, the mayor added that at least two farmers named John Henderson and John Roney of Goulborn and Tullamarine ranges, introduced a similar Aud$80 per sheep quotation as farmgate price.