Yamashita gold elusive; SC compound not spared
THE hunt for the Yamashita treasure remains elusive.
Baguio City Vice Mayor Edison Bilog said there are no updates in the recent search for the gold underneath the Baguio Convention Center by treasure hunter Eliseo Cabusao Jr.
The treasure hunter got the nod of Baguio City officials to search and extract what he believes is the fabled treasure with an agreed sharing scheme; 35 percent of the treasure will go to the city, 30 percent to the National Government through the National Museum, and 35 percent to Cabusao.
Bilog said to this day the loot remains a dream.
The loot is fabled to be stolen by Japanese soldiers under the command of General Tomoyuki Yamashita during World War II when Japan attacked and conquered most of the Far East. It was reportedly stashed in underground tunnels and caves in the northern part of the Philippines before Japan surrendered to the United States in 1945.
This week, the Supreme Court (SC) ruled to punish government workers who dug without permission at the restricted Justice compound for the same treasure.
High Court Justices found Edgardo Hallera and Elvie Carbone, both casual Utility Worker II, Maintenance Unit, SC Compound, Baguio City, guilty of grave misconduct, and terminated their casual employment, forfeiting all benefits, with prejudice to reinstatement or reappointment to any public office.