Saturday, December 06, 2008
Scavenger who found sack of dollars in dump site seeks refuge in radio station
By Rene H. Martel
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
SEEKING refuge in a radio station, the man who found the sack containing $60,000 that was accidentally thrown into the Inayawan landfill last Nov. 26 said the $20,500 that two relatives turned over to authorities was the only cash he managed to secure for himself.
He said that when he emptied the sack in front of everybody, somebody recognized the money and around 300 scavengers dove for the scattered dollar bills.
“Kadtong gi-uli mao ra gyud to akong nakuha. Daghan kaayong nakakuha atong kwartaha,” said Napoleon Alburo, 20 (not 16 years old as earlier reported to authorities).
He said that just five hours after finding the sack, he and pregnant live-in partner Thelma Candol, 40, with their 10-month-old son, fled for Argao, Cebu and lived with her sister.
“Nahadlok koy NBI kuno nangita dakpon ko. Wala miy nagamit sa kwarta. Nanghulam pa gani mi sa silingan para pamlete kay nagdali na (I was afraid because I was told the NBI was looking to arrest mi. We were not able to spend the money. I even had to borrow from neighbors for our fare),” Thelma said.
She said that while in Argao, she called her children with her first husband and instructed them to sell their pig so they will have money for their daily expenses.
Alburo said they were forced to return to Cebu City because they have to earn a living by going back to the landfill to scavenge for scrap.
Help
He said that they are avid listeners of dyHP and fans of its station manager, lawyer Ruphil Bañoc, so they decided to ask for his help.
In a separate interview, Bañoc said he will provide legal assistance to Alburo, adding that he could foresee no complaint that could be filed against him.
In the meantime, Bañoc said, Alburo will just stay in the station while he is still trying to assess if it is already safe for Alburo to return to Inayawan.
He warned that if authorities, particularly the NBI, want to investigate Alburo, they must see him at the station instead of having him “invited for questioning” just to end up being held and jailed.
“Kung gusto sila mopasaka og kaso, they should follow the regular procedure, naay preliminary investigation, dili kay pick-up-pon lang unya ang tawo,” he said.
Alburo said they trust Bañoc, more so that he is a lawyer.
Manna
Asked about the supposed manna from heaven, he said it was a bittersweet experience for him and his family.
“Kwarta to gihatag unta sa Ginoo. Pero ang gihatag sa Ginoo napalpak man,” he said.
Alburo said he pitied moneychanger Emiliano Tanpin Jr., whom he saw on television appealing for scavengers who found the cash to return it because it was not his.
Tanpin had said that he will not file any case, as he is just interested to get the money back. He said he even had his grandmother mortgage her house so he could pay for the loss.
“Nakakita ko niya sa TV, pasalig siya nga dili mokiha iuli lang ang kwarta kay wala man to gikawat. Nakaaana ko sa akong kaugalingon, ‘Unsay akong iuli?’ Nalooy ko niya pero wala na many nahibilin sa ako-a (I saw him on TV assuring he won’t file a case so long as the money is returned. But I told myself, what can I return? I pity him but I don’t have the money with me),” Alburo said.
Back
Julie Compisto, Alburo’s half-brother, went to the NBI 7 office last Nov. 28 and turned over 170 $100 bills, or some P827,900, at P48.7 to the dollar.
Victoria Candido, Compisto’s cousin, also returned hours later 35 $100 bills, worth P170,450, to Inayawan Barangay Captain Rustico Ignacio.
She said Alburo brought the money home mid-Wednesday morning and showed it to Compisto, who thought these were fake.
Alburo said he gave the money to Compisto for him to check with somebody competent to determine if it was real, as he could not believe that a sackful of money would end up in the dump.
Bañoc said that since Alburo asked for their help, dyHP will house him for a few days until they can determine that it is already safe for him to return to Inayawan.
He said he could not believe that Alburo, who has not even finished grade one, would be wily enough to lie that he no longer has any of the dollars with him. (RHM)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (December 6, 2008 issue)
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