FORMER Baguio congressman Nicasio Aliping Jr. and his contractors posted bail after warrants for their arrest were issued last week over the illegal road construction that destroyed hundreds of trees and polluted a water source at the Mount Santo Tomas Reserve.
The forest reserve in Tuba, Benguet, which has been closed since 2015, was the site of the fictional village of La Presa in the hit ABS-CBN teleserye "Forevermore" starring Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil in 2015.
Aside from Aliping, contractors William Go, Bernard Capuyan and Romeo Aquino also posted bail. They have been accused of violating the Revised Forestry Code of the Philippines.
Baguio Judge Emmanuel Rasing of Regional Trial Court Branch 10 stands as temporary overseer for the case.
Lawyer Lauro Gacayan, who represents Aquino, said his client posted a P200,000 bail Friday afternoon, November 17. Arraignment and hearings have yet to be scheduled by the court.
Lawyer Hansel Duque stands as Aliping's counsel. Their camp has yet to issue a statement.
Aliping and the contractors were charged by the Office of the Ombudsman for cutting, removing, gathering or collecting timber from a forest reservation, and unlawful occupation and destruction of forest and grazing lands to pave for a resort project.
The Ombudsman said the project disturbed the stability of the mountain slope, resulting in massive landslides which are aggravated by the rains and cause the contamination of the Amliang dams, the source of fresh spring water for distribution to residents of Baguio City and Tuba town.
In its decision, the Ombudsman stated “While the complaint alleges that the acts complained of were committed in relation Aliping’s exercise of official functions, there is evidence that Aliping cut or burned the trees in the performance of his official functions as congressman, which are essentially legislative in character.”
The 2016 case stemmed from the complaint filed by former Baguio-Benguet Bishop Carlito Cenzon and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas.
The two Catholic Church leaders led the filing of a Writ of Kalikasan to stop activities on the mountain in a bid to stop its deterioration, an environment protection order to stop road openings and other developments being undertaken at Mount Sto. Tomas watershed.
The petitioners alleged that earth-moving activities were approved by Aliping for the opening of a road starting from Mount Kabuyao highway all the way down to Sitio Amliang and Sitio Bekel of Poblacion, Tuba. (SunStar Baguio)