9 charged in San Juan demolition

MANILA, Philippines - The San Juan police filed criminal charges yesterday against nine persons, two of them minors, who were arrested during the violent demolition in Barangay Corazon de Jesus last Wednesday.

Kabataan party-list organizer Mark Louie Aquino, 26; Anakbayan organizer Luke Bagangan, 20; Jimmy Gregorio, 24; helper Roger Gavino, 30; Senen Buban, 25; scavenger Salvador Garsain, 55; and Mark Dave Avestruz, 20, were among those charged with illegal assembly, obstruction of justice, assault upon an agent or a person in authority, resistance and disobedience, maliscious mischief and multiple physical injuries.

Aquino, Bagangan, and Gregorio share the same address at 1437 Instruccion street in Sampaloc, Manila. Gavino, Buban, Garsain and Avestruz are residents of Barangay Corazon de Jesus.

The names of the two minors, aged 15 and 17, were withheld by the police.

Investigators presented three slingshots, two unexploded pillboxes and five Molotov bombs as evidence before the prosecutor’s office. The items were confiscated from the suspects during their arrest.

Estrada blames militants

Former President Joseph Estrada, a former mayor of San Juan, called on militants led by Bayan party-list Rep. Teddy Casiño to stop creating chaos in the city. He said the militants “infiltrated” the informal settlers and are the ones responsible for the violence.

“Some of the remaining informal settlers, who are opposing the demolition and are creating chaos, are professional squatters who even own houses for rent. They are being funded by militant groups to create chaos in San Juan,” he said.

San Juan Mayor Guia Gomez and Rep. JV Ejercito, her son by Estrada, were saddened by the violent demolition. Ejercito said the infiltrators were reportedly backed up by “the same people who are also present in other demolitions in Metro Manila.”

He said the militants “are creating chaos for propaganda purposes.” Estrada said Casiño should learn to prioritize peace and order if he is planning to run for “higher office.”

At least 33 persons, including four policemen and 14 members of the demolition team, suffered injuries from the Molotov bombs, pillboxes, stones and bottles thrown at them during the demolition.

Police Officer 3 Gener Adrian Antazo said they also filed charges of malicious mischief against the suspects as P30,000 worth of window glass at the construction site of the new city hall and a dump truck’s windshield, worth P20,000, were destroyed during the demolition.

Meanwhile, San Juan public information chief Grace Cortes said the city government has stopped clearing operations at the demolition site as of 3 p.m. yesterday.

“We are providing transport services to all families to assist them in their relocation, whether in our relocation site or other non-government housing project locations where they choose to be transferred,” Cortes said.