Three market marshals charged
14 COUNTS OF DIRECT BRIBERY
THE three Market Marshals of the Mayor’s Office in Dagupan City headed by Michael Hernando, who were initially charged direct bribery by a group of vendors at the Magsaysay Fish Market find themselves in bigger trouble with the law after they were charged with 14 counts of direct bribery in separate information filed before the Regional Trial Court in Dagupan City on June 6, 2022.
The accused Hernando and his co-accused Marvin Barrozo and Marie Lomibao were each charged in 14 separate Criminal Case Nos. 2022-0407-D, 2022-0408-D; 2022-0409-D, 2022-0410-D, 2022-0411-D, 2022-0412-D, 2022-0413, 2022-0414-D, 2022 0414, 2022-0416, 2022 0417, 2022 0418-D, 2022-0419; NS 2022-0420-D signed by Acting Prosecutor Genevieve P. Ayochok.
The 14 criminal cases of direct bribery were based on affidavits that showed these were committed by the accused in the months of June, July, August, September, October, November and December 2020 and on January, February, March, April, May, June and July 2021.
Each date referred to corresponds to the months and year when P25,000 in supposed protection money was collected monthly by the accused from the complainant Small Scale Fish Consignment and Retailer at Riverside represented by Marietta Barrientos and Diana Oxino.
If the RTC approves the recommendation, each of the three accused will be required to post a total of P672,000 for all the 14 criminal cases filed against each of them for their temporary liberty.
The Dagupan City Prosecutor’s Office initially investigated and resolved the case. However, Hernando, Barrozo and Lomibao, through their counsel, filed a motion for reconsideration, as well as sought the inhibition of City Prosecutor Victoria Cabrera.
The motion prompted the Regional State Prosecutor in San Fernando City, La Union to refer the case to the Baguio City Prosecutors Office for investigation.
Subsequently, Associate City Prosecutor Ayochok signed the information as well as her certification with the words” “Baguio City for Dagupan City, Philippines, May 5, 2022”.
Hernando was identified in the information as a public officer employed as Technical Consultant of the Office of the City Mayor of Dagupan under the Anti-Hawking Task Force, who allegedly took advantage of his position and “did and there unlawfully and feloniously solicit, demand and received from members of the private complainant the amount of P25,000 per month”.
It was Barrientos who identified Barrozo as the one who received P25,000 from the group as monthly protection money, acknowledging the receipt of the same by signing in the logbook under the care of Oxino.
Associate City Prosecutor Ayochok certified that on the basis of the sworn statement(s) submitted and other evidence presented, “there is reasonable cause/ground to believe that the offense complained of has been committed and that the accused are probably guilty thereof”.
When asked to comment on the 14 cases filed by the Prosecution Office against the accused, Barrientos said: “Kulang pa yon sir, sa pahirap na ginawa nila sa amin. We did not deserve such kind of treatment.”
She said her group is waiting for the court to issue the warrants of arrest against the three.
Asked about the P100,000 loan that was never paid by Hernando, Barrientos said it’s a different case still to be resolved. (Leonardo Micua)
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