Zambales vice gov reports Magsaysay’s ‘death threat’

IBA, Zambales — Fearing for his safety, Vice Gov. Ramon Lacbain has reported to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Division (CIDD) at Camp Crame that his life is allegedly under threat from Gov. Vicente Magsaysay.

In a police blotter entry, certified by Superintendent Eduardo Ocampo, CIDD chief, Lacbain quoted Magsaysay as allegedly saying, "I will shoot you kahit saan kita makita (wherever I see you)."

Lacbain claimed Magsaysay issued the threat during an executive meeting which the governor presided over at the provincial capitol here last Sept. 16, in the presence of all provincial board members.

Since then, he said Magsaysay has withdrawn all savings and other funds under the vice governor’s office as well as his service vehicles, and also fired 10 of his personnel.

"The members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (provincial board) were all there and are my witnesses. They were unable to do anything but merely watched and listened as Gov. Magsaysay humiliated me," Lacbain said in his affidavit which was the basis of the CIDD blotter entry.

In a phone interview with The STAR, Magsaysay admitted issuing the statement during an executive meeting at the Capitol, but insisted that he said it in jest.

"Sino ba ang magbibigay ng threat sa maraming nakaharap ng tao? Lahat nga tumatawa noon (Who would issue such a threat in front of a lot of people? They were even laughing then)," he said.

Magsaysay, however, confessed that he has a rift with Lacbain stemming from a resolution which the vice governor initiated and which the provincial board passed last month withdrawing from him the authority to "reorganize and re-engineer" the entire provincial government.

"Magsaysay thinks that this action of the board which I initiated was a stab in his back. He got mad at me and threatened to kill me," Lacbain said.

"We are in a fiscal crisis and we cannot afford to terminate people just because we want to save money. Besides, there are already lots of vacant positions in the provincial government," he added.

Magsaysay, however, said his authority to reorganize, which the former provincial board granted him last January "could not be withdrawn since it has yet to be implemented fully."

He said the reorganization, which has led to the firing of many casual employees, was an economic measure in anticipation of the possible cut in the internal revenue allotment (IRA) of the provincial government.

Lacbain said Magsaysay did not also favor his resolution endorsing to Malacañang a Zambaleño to replace Felicito Payumo as chairman of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).

"The provincial board was not endorsing a particular Zambaleño, but Gov. Magsaysay was against this since he wanted Payumo retained and he did not want either former Gov. Amor Deloso or Philip Camara who were among those being considered," he said.

Magsaysay, however, accused Lacbain of merely "grandstanding" since the provincial board had unanimously approved another resolution endorsing another Zambaleño, retired former Philippine National Police chief Hermogenes Ebdane, as the next SBMA chairman.

He insisted that the provincial board never approved Lacbain’s resolution.

Magsaysay also denied that he fired Lacbain’s staffers and reduced to zero the budget of the vice governor’s office. He admitted though that he withdrew two of Lacbain’s three service vehicles since "he had too many."

Lacbain said he has yet to file a formal charge against Magsaysay, but stressed that he had his "threat" entered in the police blotter "for whatever legal purposes it may serve."