|
Sunday, September 04, 2005
Warrants out vs mining firm workers
By Jane Cadalig
BAGUIO CITY -- Three officers and several members of the Lepanto Employees Union (LEU), who are still on strike, are facing detention after a local court issued warrants of arrest for direct assault and grave coercion against them.
Accused for direct assault include Francisco Dida, Danilo Fag-ayan, Jerry Takinan and several others.
Dida, in the first case of direct assault filed by members of the Benguet Provincial Police Office (BPPO), allegedly punched a police officer while the lawman was trying to pacify strikers who formed a human barricade along Lepanto Consolidated and Mining Company (LCMC) private road at Sapid, Mankayan last July 2.
In a resolution, the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor of Benguet said Dida allegedly "attacked a person in authority while said person was in the discharge of his official function. He did the same despite full knowledge that the person he attacked is a person in authority, in full disregard of the person and the authority he represents."
In a separate case filed by the police officers, Dida and Fag-ayan were accused of allegedly urging their picketing companions to maintain the human barricade and continue to disobey and disregard orders from the law enforcers on July 20, when the latter assisted the company in delivering food and other office supplies to the mine site.
The law enforcers reportedly proceeded to arrest Dida and Fag-ayan then but they failed. They also positively identified Takinan from among the group.
Meanwhile, the Municipal Trial Court (MTC) of Mankayan issued warrants of arrest against Gerardo Chopchopen, Regino Ginpac, Haig Mangaoang, Dionbong Saldo, Jeremias Macuroy, Florence As-il and several others, for grave coercion.
The MTC said Chopchopen et al., are accused of allegedly "conspiring, confederating and mutually aiding each other; did then and there willfully, unlawfully and feloniously by means of force, violence and intimidation, without authority of the law, prevent Ranny Pakilo and Wilhelm Doromal against their will, from delivering food, mining supplies and equipment belonging to Lepanto, to the mill working area, an act prohibited by law, to the damage and prejudice of Pakilo, Doromal and Lepanto."
"Police will be serving the warrants shortly and arrests are expected to happen soon," LCMC management said in a statement.
The strike in Lepanto started last June 2. (Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)
(September 4, 2005 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
|
|
[return to top]
[home]
|
|
Gov't studies transfer of Malacañang to Clark