Bureau ofImmigration and its red tape

Last November 16, 2010 my lawyer filed a motion for the dismissal of a harassment case filed against me. The judge denied the motion and gave the complainant two months to prove her case since the judge believed her alibi that she was abroad before the scheduled hearing and was not able to make it on the said trial date.

We wrote a letter to the NBI to help us know the whereabouts of the complainant but they referred us to the Bureau of Immigration here in Baguio. We made a similar request letter addressed to the regional office of the Bureau headed by Mr. Ricardo Dl. Gabochan, after more than two weeks we followed up the request. He verbally told us that they made verification if Flores Silo was out of the country on the dates specified and told us that Ms. Silo never went out of the country as claimed.

We ask the good office of Mr. Ricardo Dl Gabochan to give us a certification since it is already known that indeed silo never went out of the country on the aforementioned dates. He said that he can only give the verbal information since it is the national office that is task to give out certifications involving these matters. We made a follow up verbal request but the answer is the same.

After a week last January 7 2010 I went down to the main office of the Bureau of Immigration in manila. I brought with me a received copy of our request to the regional office. When I inquired regarding issuance of certifications, I was given a form to fill up; the regional office in Baguio did not have a form similar to this. I was then directed to submit the accomplished form at window 17. I was advised by the staff that I will follow it up after a week by calling OIC Ronaldo P. Ledesma at Tel. no.527-5380 or see him at his office at Rm. 423. I went again to window 12 and told the employee that the regional office had made a research and the subject mentioned in the request is p0sitively still in the country and if there is a way I can talk to the officer concerned because it is another expense of time and money if I will come back after a week. The employee just told me he is following orders and never bothered to listen to me. I ask him how much the amount to be paid for the said certification is and he told me its more than 1000.00 pesos. I almost fainted after hearing him. I scraped my lunch to save on expenses and the confiscatory fees demanded cramped my stomach. One week is too long to wait at this time where we can locate things and persons in a few minutes with just a few clicks.

I left window 12 and went to the office of OIC Ledesma to explain my predicament but to my surprise you have to talk to several persons before you can see a glimpse of the director. I tried to explain again the findings of Mr. Gabochan but instead the secretary or whatever cordoned sanitair bluntly told me to come back after a week. I explained to her I came from Baguio city and I would like to maximize my time I explained to her patiently the facts I gathered from their regional office but she just told me to come back after a week period. If only the regional office accommodated my request I would have earned cash to pay my tax instead of wasting my time and money at the national office of the Bureau of immigration.

Lastly the Bureau of Immigration is collecting 500 pesos as an additional for express transaction in addition to the regular charge but it’s not worth it. It is not functional as the word express connotes.

Ghost Reforestation Project of Mountain Province

That in the year 2006 the Asian Development Bank provided a grant and soft loan to the Philippine government to address the environmental concerns and livelihood programs of Mountain Province, particularly Barangay Maligcong. This multimillion peso - worth project was jointly implemented by Cordillera Highland Agricultural Resource Management Project (CHARMP), an NGO, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

That in the process of its implementation, corrupt practices (as stipulated below) were discovered by concerned residents of Barangay Maligcong. On April 2006, these concerned residents decided to come out and sign affidavits confirming that indeed there were gross violations of the law, specifically the Anti-graft Law.

The concerned citizens who submitted affidavits are the following:

1. Jefrey Pursen

2. Thomas Sadcopen

3. William Todcor

4. Agustin Choykawen

5. Rosita Cobsilen

6. Brigitt Imperial

7. Elisa Carlos

That in the same year, the complainants decided to report the case to the DENR authorities. They asked the help of the Northern Luzon Coalition of Good Governance (NLCGG) who provided the technical group to help the complainants determine the extent of the reforestation projects, the Social Action and Development Center (SADC), and a surveyor as part of a monitoring body against graft and corruption.

During the ocular inspection of the sites, contrary to the claim by the barangay captain and his cohorts including the DENR, the following were discovered and confirmed:

1) That areas planted were too small compared to the actual areas developed and planted. In Sitio Pokipok alone (one area out of eight project sites that were surveyed by Mr. John Escher from Switzerland), more or less 5 hectares were planted, but the DENR and the barangay counterpart declared the project area as more than 50 hectares. The other six project places - Angtungfaw, Pudlak, Lidchan, Matu-un, Filig, Chatar, and Locutan are all misdeclared and bloated as well.

2) Coffee plantation projects as claimed by the accused at sitio Lakipan and amfomotngor are nonexistent.

3) Nurseries were seen to be still containing thousands of withered and stunted pine seedlings. A total of 9 pine nurseries were discovered in all.

4) Bunkhouses and guardhouses were only makeshift shanties contrary to the project specification.

5) Already existing trails used by residents since time immemorial were declared as the 1 meter by 7 kilometer pathway connecting the different project sights.

6) Worst among the entire claim was that the naturally growing pine trees were declared as planted by the group of Herman Farnican.

The mountains of Maligcong do not need replanting; it only needs protection from illegal loggers and forest fires.

6) The livelihood component of the project, which is citrus - growing whereby the beneficiaries were given citrus seedlings to plant in their lands, were not successful as most of the seedlings were not distributed and allowed to die. The beneficiaries were never trained technically to take care of these special plants since they are only introduced species in the locality. The overall result of the livelihood component was a failure. Thomas Sadcopen, the caretaker of the citrus nursery, was never paid in full. Because of this, he filed an administrative case against the accused. Up to the present, no payment was made and no administrative sanctions were promulgated.

During the last phase of the project, two representatives of the Asian Development Bank came to Maligcong to see and verify the reforestation project, but it is getting dark during that time so it is impossible to make a practical and independent evaluation. The complainants met the ADB representatives and wanted to tell them that the project they were trying to evaluate was almost nonexistent. There was a discussion, but these foreigners were convinced beforehand that the project existed, as said by the barangay captain and the DENR.

That a complaint was submitted to the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) and it was never acted upon. They scheduled appointments with the complainants to thresh out the differences but none ever took place because they wanted to isolate the complainants and to deal with them individually.

That the complainants reported to the municipal government of Bontoc the abuses of the barangay captain of Maligcong, Mr. Herman Farnican. The complainants had an audience with the municipal council, but it resulted in exculpating Mr. Farnican. This was understandable since he was a member of the municipal council as ABC president and he was their colleague, notwithstanding the overwhelming evidence of graft and corruption against him. This prompted the complainants and the witnesses to seek redress from the DENR Regional Office in Baguio City.

That during those instances of meeting with the regional official headed by the Regional Director, Nicanor Sapla, we were ignored despite our open manifestations. Any succeeding attempts of communication through text messages and e-mails which were never answered.

That attempts were made to get the attention of the then DENR Secretary Mike Defensor through the intervention of Executive Secretary Silvestry Affable, but the instructions of the DENR secretary to the lower offices simply went to naught.

That as a result of much ado without nothing and a waste of the complainant’s time and money, the decision to file an administrative and criminal case was made to the ombudsman in the hope that the complainants will be heard. They wanted to clear matters and prove that there really existed a ghost project in Maligcong committed by the Barangay Captain Herman Farnican, DENR Director Nicanor Sapla, and their cohorts.

That the Ombudsman docketed the case and nothing happened from the filing of the case docket no. OMB-L-A-06-0378-E at the office of the Ombudsman in Manila.

That we made twelve trips to Manila from 2006 up to 2009 t to follow-up the case at the Office of the Ombudsman. We were aided by National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG) of the University of the Philippines and De La Salle University but still to no avail. A classic case of “justice delayed is justice denied.”

That in the process of collating our reports as of the present after five years of inaction by the government agencies concerned, the complainants began to suspect one another that maybe one or two of them were bought and now sided with the barangay captain and the DENR so that the case never prospered.

Additional references regarding the ghost projects:

1) NLCGG, through the president Pura Sumangil

2) SADC ,through Fr. Val Democ

3) Complainants, through William Todcor

4) UP - NCPAG

5) De La Salle Institute of Good Governance

6) Internet publications

7) Posted by Peden at 2:41 AM 0 comments

8) Letters and etc.

fitley pursen

Dear William,

Be informed that this morning a legal officer and a forester from the Central DENR has interviewed me regarding our joint complaint on reforestation. According to them their office was task by the ombudsman to investigate our complaints.

They wish to get your comments but I told them that you are in Baguio. According to them, we are given 30 days starting today to answer their questions regarding our complaints. I then gave your cellphone number as a means of contacting you or see them at the central DENR office. I tried to give them your e-mail address but they are not interested in it because their office is not connected to internet.

There is a question from them that I need to tell you; “sino ang tomotolong sa inyo sa pagprepare ng inyong complaints at saan niyo ginagawa ang pagprepare ng inyong complaints”. For the former question, I told them that no one except us three complainants and Thomas Sadcopen, and for the later question, I told them that we usually prepare our complaints at my house. With this questions, we need to have the same answer. The rest of the question is up to you but of course to the best interest of our complaints. They seem to be looking for a means of downgrading the weight of our complaints.

Jeffrey

---

william todcor	did you tell atty claver of this interview> pls tell me his response before I...	11/29/07
fitley pursen	> Dear William, > since Atty. Claver became vice Governor, he is always busy....		11/29/07

to fitley

ok I will try thanks!

Masahuri Osaki, a Japanese national tried to help by informing ADB (Asian Development Bank) of the graft and corruption.(no result)

Prepared by:

William L. Todcor

Jueteng vs. progress

Jueteng aficionados claim their activities can create more jobs and other perceived beneficial claims but in truth And in fact the bets collected are part of a capital or profit of a person that should be circulating on the mainstream of economic generation that is producing more interest of the original capital as it passes from person to person in a community. For instance a fifty peso bet is collected by the collectors then it goes straight to the operator who keeps a majority of the money collected, it passes in the hands of two to three people then finally to the PNP for protection and the politician who gives his blessing to operators in a certain locality. While if the fifty pesos is not used in the jueteng it passes to many people thereby creating a chain of economic activities which ultimately is creating more jobs. An example is when an ordinary farmer who is not a habitual patron of jueteng gives the amount to his children who are attending school, the fifty pesos goes a long way providing capital to vendors, transport and other businesses where the children spend their allowance. There are more people involved in this economic activity which means more jobs because of an active entrepreneurial purpose. Jueteng is a form of an economic sabotage because it denies the government of taxes due to it. It hoards the money in the hands of a few people who use it for sinister purposes that is detrimental to the health of the nation, be it peace economy and security.

Single voting a pest or genetics?

In the Philippines voting is an exercise of freedom but extremes can happen. Allow me to picture a situational in my article as follows.
Candidates come to an agreement forging a compact to include the entire line up or group among voting friends, clans, tribes and relatives. Then comes Election Day when secret ballots are cast followed by the canvassing and counting of votes and the winners are……. Of course the wily foxes!
Where did things go wrong? It is a common practice among clans and closely knitted groups like a tribe and similar groupings to vote for one candidate and excluding the rest of the group. The other candidates who unwittingly did a fair job of including all their team mates will get the least votes because they were never included by the others in the first place.
They say all is fair in love, war and politics but in this case integrity is the basic character that should be taken into consideration as foremost. A candidate who takes advantage of a situation appropriating opportunities to take undue advantage over others who follow the rules of fair play should never be in public leadership positions, because they will apply their wily and corrupt principles in all endeavors they do.
Among the clans and group who follow this kind of unfair practice find themselves fooled most of the time by the same candidate who approach them in every election wearing different masks. These same clans, tribes or groups seemingly never learn. Their ability to distinguish wolves in sheep’s skin has never been sharpened. It seems to be a hereditary aberration and it is now already a genetic adaptations.

With Governor Chavit at Baluarte

We traveled to Ciudad Fernandina otherwise known as vigan which still exudes the beauty and power of the past. Baluarte a private Zoo and a fabulous park attract foreign tourists and locals alike. It is located within the vicinity of this teeming city. Governor Chavit Singson an Ilocano must have realized that regaining the glory of Vigan is to invest extensively on a landmark that will bring in lively hood and better living on this northern part of Ilocandia, the grand creation of Baluarte. His vision as a political leader is something to be admired and worthy of emulating.
We visited his residence and had coffee; I jokingly ask a favor from the honorable governor if there is the possibility of continuing the construction of the Bulaga Bridge that is supposed to connect Cervantes Ilocos Sur and Tadian Mountain Province. I informed the good governor that the officials in Mountain Province seem to neglect its construction. I ask him a favor to keep this lateral road very passable with a complete Bulaga bridge since it is a vital link and a short cut to the Ilocos Region from the land lock Cordillera region and the rich Cagayan valley. Hopefully His smile on the request will go a long, long way.

blogger arrested

I am relating the facts that happened at the police precinct substation 10 located at Marcos highway Dontogan Baguio city.
That I am accusing Police station commander and others who were involved for illegal arrest, abuse of authority and a violation of my constitutional rights, that I was deprived of my liberty without due process of law under RA 7438, the revised penal code and the rules of court.

The facts of the case:
That at about 3:30pm, I was at home attending to my orchid plants, and then I noticed someone is looking around my front yard a few steps from the main door of my house with a long bag slung on his shoulder. I ask the man what is his purpose and why he is at my place and he told me if there is a way going to the other side of the road pointing the direction of Balacbac Road. I told him that he entered a private property. I ask him further if he read the No Trespassing sign but he just keep looking at me. This made me suspicious because he has also a long bag with him so I told him to go back where he came from. I followed him secretly, then I saw he is with a lady companion who was picking flowers inside my compound along the way as they exited,
I shouted at them to stop but they rushed out of my gate and as they passed by the car I am entrusted, I saw the woman hit the car with a stone and tore the car cover before going away.Prior to that, the daughter of Erwin San Luis saw her tore the car cover and was looking inside before they entered my property since the car is parked beside their house.
I ran after them and realized the woman is F S but her companion is unknown to me. So I shouted to her as she is around fifty feet away while his companion stayed behind to prevent me from further approaching her. What’s your purpose in coming to my place I keep shouting to her as she was moving away while the man kept on pushing me back, so we grappled together for the possession of his bag that contains a metal object. I suspect it is a fire arm and he is trying to unzip it. When the man knew that she is nowhere to be seen, he pushed me and started to walk fast in the direction of the main road at Green Valley where the woman went He disappeared leaving his companion alone after she ask the assistance of the police, attempts to locate him was futile she even denied his whereabouts.
I keep shouting so that the people who are playing at the basketball court will witness what is happening. The woman in the meantime was shouting invectives while she is getting away to watch out for me because I am a thief and she keep on repeating her accusations several times for my neighbors to hear, so that it was her instead who shouted slanderous language against me in the presence of several people. She even have the nerve to command them to beat me.she told the men playing basketball.
The claim of the woman that I threw a stone at her has no basis and it’s not true because I was preoccupied grappling with her male companion. Besides there were people who can witness that there was no stone thrown to her or a gun was ever poke on her since she is very far from where I was. If I had a gun at that time it would be her male companion it was directed because he was preventing me from pursuing the thief and vandal as well as a trespasser.
The claim also of the policemen that they arrested me while the incident was going on at around 4:30 pm is a lie since that was the time the woman and her male companion were long time gone already from the place of incident near my residence. I was at home then during that time as shown by my sent messages to the NBI regarding the sighting of a suspicious individual spying at my residence more than an hour ago. This text message was sent at 5:15 pm after the incident that happened hours earlier.
The truth is I went back to my house after the incident and had a snack since I was hungry many people saw me going back. I also took a bath and changed my clothes since I was wearing soiled garden attire, a white shirt and brown pants with black chinelas at the time of the incident and not the cloths I was wearing when they arrested me which is maong pants and blue polo shirt and brown shoes. The people at the basketball court will witness to that.
It was around 5:20pm hours after the incident that I went out. I took my licensed gun with me including the permit to carry. On my way to the barangay captain’s house, at about 5:30 pm, I met several policemen and the woman on my way to the barangay captain’s residence near the main road at Green valley. They took my licensed gun and told me to go with them to the police station. There were still several people around who saw the incident, a policeman ask one of those who saw the incident whom I ask to be one of my witness said that he was ask if I really poke a gun to the complainant and he shook his head saying no I did not poke a gun at her. So they arrested me without any personal knowledge of the incident, they just believed what the complainant said and disregarded everything. We were able to reach the place at around 5:40 pm.
That In the process of taking her statement they boasted to her that they responded with lightning speed and they need a Christmas bonus from her for the favor. These words came from Police officer from the station commander.
That the only time they took her statement when I was brought to the police station at around past 6:00 pm, not when the woman went to complain at their office at around passed 4:00 pm.
But before they finished taking her Statement they called for a break, they proceeded at the lower portion of the police office to have dinner with the complainant. After a while they came up and told me that we go for medical checkup. I told them to wait for my lawyer so I can make my request since my cell phone has no load and the battery is dead one of them was kind enough to get a load for me but the others would like rush up since I cannot make contact yet because I am still charging the cell phone.[ I was only able to contact my lawyer when I was incarcerated and the time of my detention has lapsed]. But they said never mind tell your problem to the court. We proceeded to Baguio general Hospital for check up. Then we went back to precinct Police station 10, I was hoping they will take my statement because I keep on insisting that it was the woman and his companion who violated my rights and what I did is to protect myself and property. But they refused to grant my request and told me they are sleepy. Prior to that I told the station commander of pcp 10 baguio city to take my statement because I am also complaining the illegal acts of the woman, that in truth I had no gun during the incident I was struggling with her companion and at the time the acts were being committed as alleged by the complainant. It is only after the incident that I went home and change my clothes and took with me my licensed gun with permit to carry for my self defense just in case since it’s getting dark.
That I told the policemen at precinct 10 headed that F S has no authority what so ever to meddle with my work but I am the one with full authority with a General Power of Attorney. I even told them that her claim to be the niece of my employer is not true and there is no blood relationship I have documents at home to provr these. But they just laugh at me. a police man at the precinct told me also that if you have any question, give them to the fiscal.
That I told the policemen that the woman is acting bizarre because she is so jealous that Mrs. Rumbaugh entrusted me her properties even her car and not to her but they told me I am making up these stories.
That I insisted many times to them to take my statement since I am also a complainant but they refused
That my constitutional right was violated under Article 125 of the revised penal code, RA 7438 and those found in the rules of court. In my case they told me I am guilty since I poke my gun at the woman without investigating if it’s true or not. The station commander said we don’t need to take your statement because you poke you gun at her, he was speaking as if he was a firsthand witness to the incident that happened between 3:00 t0 4:00 pm of November 18 2009 near my residence and then immediately arrested me thereafter which is a fabricated lie.
That they entertained the worthless documents and lies of the complainant. When I requested that I will be accompanied by them to my residence so that they will see the destruction of the woman proving that she and her male companion are trespassers, thieves, vandals and a slanderer also there are witnesses available to prove I did not commit a crime but it was all in futility, so I believe there was prior agreement between these policemen and the complainant to frame me up as shown by the spot report and their affidavits as well as the surrounding circumstances which is full of inconsistencies specially the following;
1] The time of the arrest, they claim its 4:30 pm when in fact it is hours after. It was long way after the incident that the arrest was done and without warrant. The truth is many of the witnesses are within the vicinity that saw what happened and were questioned by the policemen, if I did really poke a gun at the complainant and they said no, that they saw no gun with me at the time of the incident. But these policemen were only interested in arresting me and not the solution of the crime committed. If only they listened to some of the witness to the incident it should have been the woman that was in quested. But these police officers have not used prudence since they were more interested in the Christmas bonus from from the complainant.
2] That the sworn statement of the woman dated November 18, 2009 is pre signed by the city prosecutor, since during the preparation of her statement until her signing at precinct 10 the complainant and me were there all the time until around 9:30 pm. So she could not possibly go out to see the fiscal.
3] That the arrest was not immediate as stated in the affidavit of the police men, in fact it was done hours later, and furthermore they did not even see the incident. The date that they witnessed the incident and the arrest according to their affidavit was October 31 2009, which only shows that these policemen are good in fabricating dates and time to suit their interest.
4] The receipt of my licensed gun that they took last November 18 2009 should state the exact date and time they took it and have it in their custody, but why was it dated November 19, 2009 a day after they took my gun. Why did they changed the date?
That I informed them to talk with the nbi assigned to the case of f.s. for estafa but Police the officers refused to answer a call I made to this NBI officer. Instead they accused me by saying; I poke a gun at the complainant as if he was present at the time of the incident at around 3:00 to 4:00pm. Right at his desk he told me I am guilty which violates constitutional principles.
That I told them I am a freelance journalist so they will consider my position that the complainant is making up what she told them. But they simply are turning deaf ears to me.
That I told them to contact cidg,PCP 4 at EPZA or nbi to verify the background of the complainant who is accusing me but they just simply ignored my request.
That they refused to listen to me and favored the woman that trespassed my place steal my flowering plants and destroyed the car cover of the fortuner I am using and hit it with a stone. They believed the story of the sexy woman without looking into the root cause of the incident and there is ample time to do it.
That the woman has other purpose more sinister in spying at my place. She really meant to harm me and my family because a woman from Abra province reported to the NBI that she overheard her contacting a gun for hire to kill me. She was even showing my picture to people in abra that I am a bad person.
With all of these things that happened to me by officers of the law who simply do not know the rights of human beings should be dealt with severely and accordingly so that innocent people will not be in jeopardy because of their biased views especially when they are given favors in cash or in kind. They are leeches who take advantage of situation to milk people who are accused of a crime.
Because of a policeman’s wrong perception of people and crime incidents, I was being paraded in public with handcuffs seen by many people is a humiliation beyond my acceptance. It has a wrong repercussion in my memory pulling me down to the category of beasts. An officer of the law who abuses their authority then trample on my freedom has no place in law enforcement but should be relegated to civilian duties. Deprivation of my liberty even for a moment out of mistake can be understandable but if it was done with malice it is unacceptable.
The undersigned wishes to Request for their suspension while the case is pending to prevent undue influence by these policemen against my witnesses.A case in now being prepared against these police men as of this time. the accused is out on bail.

AIRTIME ROBBERY

The smart way to do business is to steal, is it? I call it a large scale estafa when millions of users unwittingly are being robbed with their eyes wide open. An example like in this instant case is when the expiration time of sim loads just disappear or shortened by the telecommunication companies acting as servers; this is stealing, plain and simple. I presume the people in the national telecommunication commission are receiving a rebate of their airtime loss, since there was no or unsatisfactory action whatsoever to curb these Mal practices of the rich telecoms companies.It has been for many years until now. Their technical capability to monitor compliance is ever doubtful.
Just imagine one million users who bought loads worth one hundred pesos, before it is all used up, suddenly there appears a message that sending has failed or a voice recording informing the cell phone owner that there is not enough balance left. But honest to goodness I for one knew I have still twenty five pesos left and I believe others who are similarly situated have the same amount lost in thin air too. Those balance that were taken if totaled can come up to roughly twenty-five million in just a few seconds multiply that in repetitions and you get ten to twelve digits in cash, again multiply it to seconds, minutes, hours, days, months and years. Surely you will lose tract of the figures. Literally it’s raining money at the main offices of these telecoms companies and they are getting away with it. Probably the national telecoms is helping them knowingly or unknowingly. The people keep spending more on these communication needs while sacrificing others that ought to be given equal attention. These acts of the telecoms companies is an economic sabotage that must be dealt with, wise or otherwise.