IN KABANKALAN
Former bank official
cleared of graft raps

A former bank official in Kabankalan City , Negros Occidental, was cleared of corruption charges yesterday, 11 years after he was charged for granting loans to non-qualified borrowers.

Regional Trial Court Branch 61 Judge Henry Arles dismissed the 18 counts of corruption under Section 3 (E) of Republic Act 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, against Darwin Destacamento, former branch manager of the Philippine National Bank in Kabankalan, for lack of evidence to prove his guilt.

“It is incumbent upon the prosecution to prove every material allegation in the informations with moral certainty. Short of that required quantum of evidence, the accused cannot be convicted,” Arles said in his 13-page decision.

The prosecution merely relied on testimonies and memoranda between Destacamento and his colleagues, which did not prove his guilt, Arles said.

Destacamento was charged for allegedly approving the loan applications of 18 market vendors' groups with deliberate intent, manifest partiality, and evident bad faith from February to September 1993, court records show.

In September this year, he filed a demurrer to evidence on the ground that the prosecution failed to prove its allegations against him.

As it turned out, Arles said, the one authorized to extend loans is not Destacamento but the PNB credit committee composed of him as chairman, a vice-chairman, and three other members.

“Evidently, the 18 informations against the accused are based on the wrong premise that the accused was authorized to grant or approve loans when in fact he was not,” the judge said.*PP

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Charges filed vs. 2 for
slay of Bago cop

Police have filed charges of direct assault with murder and direct assault with frustrated murder against the two suspects in the death of a police precinct chief in Bago City , Negros Occidental on Dec. 7.

Bago police chief, Supt. Alex Belonio, yesterday said they expect arrest warrants to be issued against respondents Joebert Cabos and Ronald Begonia, who have been charged in court for the killing of SPO1 Alan Retolosa, a police precinct chief stationed in Brgy. Ma-ao, Bago City .

Belonio said Cabos is still at-large, while Begonia is now in jail.

Cabos and Begonia were transporting a fighting cock on board a motorcycle when they were invited to the precinct by the Bago police, who were monitoring reports of a kagawad of Brgy. Mailum, Bago City , about a series of thefts of game fowls in the place.

A commotion ensued at the Ma-ao police precinct after the .38 caliber revolver fell from the waistband of Cabos, who grabbed it and shot Retolosa, police investigations showed.

Cabos escaped after the shooting while Retolosa died later in a hospital. Begonia was subdued by other policemen, police investigations added.

A certain Carmelino Atillaga was also hit by a stray bullet.

Belonio said Cabos was also linked to several incidents of fighting cock thefts in Murcia , Bacolod City , and Bago.*GPB

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Firecrackers safety assured

Officials and vendors of firecrackers assured the public of their safety as the sale of pyrotechnics in Bacolod City marked its third day yesterday.

Police Station 1 commander, Chief Inspector Noel Manaay, said he has assigned personnel to conduct patrols at the selling area near SM City to ensure that vendors and their patrons observe safety precautions.

He added that they are monitoring vendors who may be storing and selling firecrackers in non-designated places other than the assigned place at the Reclamation Area.

A member of the Bacolod Markets and Vendors department, who refused to give his name, said that they will inspect the 69 stalls in the area this week to finalize safety plans.

As of yesterday, only about half of the vendors had started displaying their products while others were still building their stalls.

Vendors are required to have containers of water near their stores, that they could use in case of fire, the government officer said.

Minors are also not allowed to sell or buy firecrackers, he added.

No smoking signs are also displayed in each of the stalls and vendors said they really see to it that pedestrians or customers do not smoke when approaching the display area.

A vendor, Mary Ann Aguillon, said she knows the trade is dangerous but added they are trying their best to make the site safe.

“It's a big business but the risks are also high,” Aguillon said.

The Health Department has repeatedly called on the public to refrain from using firecrackers and instead welcome the New Year with horns and other noise-making materials.*PP

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