SBMA officials charged over scrap metal dispute

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT, Olongapo City — Criminal and administrative complaints have been filed before the Office of the Ombudsman-Luzon against three top executives of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), 12 SBMA security law enforcers and a private contractor in connection with an alleged conspiracy to commit crimes against a locator over ownership of junk materials in an old power plant building here.

The subjects of the complaint are SBMA Chairman and Administrator Roberto Garcia, SBMA Law Enforcement Department Manager (Ret.) Gen. Orlando Maddela and SBMA Legal Department Manager Von Rodriguez.

12 SBMA Security officers and Filipino businessman Bonifacio Aporo, owner of Bonapor Metal Contractor Services and General Merchandise based in Caloocan City were also included in the charge sheet for preliminary investigation.

The complaint-affidavit said that on November, 2012, SBMA sold to Bonapor the machineries, equipment and all recyclable materials in the former SBMA Power Plant or Building 1800 in the amount of million.

Bonapor proceeded to dismantle, disassemble, and withdraw at least 38 truckloads of machineries, furniture, equipment and other recyclable materials from the said building.

On March 2015, Bonapor, through its attorney-in-fact Annabel Magno with special power of attorney, sold the building and the remaining machineries and equipment to FCL for P6.5 million.

However, on April 17, 2015, Aporo, accompanied by heavily armed SBMA security personnel barged inside Building 1800 and accosted workers of FCL.

The SBMA security officers immediately disarmed the security guard, arrested the workers and physically brought to SBMA Law Enforcement Department.