Mabanto accuses media of portraying him as villain

CEBU, Philippines - Before the Mandaue City council yesterday, a fuming assistant city prosecutor Bienvinido Mabanto, who had figured in a string of traffic accidents in the past, accused some media people of twisting facts that made him appear as a villain in their stories.

He thanked the council for giving him the opportunity to air his side, although he said it was not an attempt to defend himself but to narrate what really happened.

He said the first traffic accident occurred on November 12 while on his way to his office.

He said he was side swept by a Corominas bus and the driver, instead of stopping, sped away apparently to escape from liability.

He said he chased the bus and arrested the driver near the Butuanon River.

He said he had him detained at the Basak police station and the driver was released four days after posting bail.

But before he left, he alleged that the driver, Rolando Lequin, made an entry at the police blotter that he slapped him, the reason why Lequin filed a slight physical injury against him, which is now being heard at the Municipal Trial Court Branch 2.

Mabanto denied slapping Lequin and alleged that the driver had all the opportunity to fabricate stories with the help of a lawyer as he was detained for four days.

And the driver also knew a case would be filed against him, Mabanto said.

He said the case is already in court.

He said the second incident involved him and Japanese national Tamosu Miyaushi last December 17.

He said it was the Japanese national who bumped him and medical record coming from the Mandaue City Hospital would show that he sustained physical injuries.

The Japanese national wrote an apology which was printed in all newspapers.

He said even if the Japanese national had already apologized, he still asked that he be deported and that the request is now pending in the Bureau of Immigration.

Mabanto also denied kicking another cargo vehicle driver whom he ordered arrested last February for hitting his SUV while it was parked at Parkmall.

He vehemently denied kicking him but alleged that it was perhaps the security guard who kicked him.

At this point, Mabanto turned to media practitioners and asked that they be fair to him as he has notarized documents to prove that he has done nothing against the driver.

After narrating the three incidents, city Councilor Nenita Layese asked Mabanto if he had offended media.

"Ordinary people like me cannot fight media, why, because they have access to their companies to publish their opinions and write-ups but not mine. And if I have to put out a publication, I have to pay. I am just a poor man like almost everybody here."

After his narration, Mabanto was asked if he was mad at media men. He said he was just mad at other media pratitioners.

"Wa ko masuko ninyo apan daghan kauban ninyo di mangutana nako apan inig ka ugma lain ang manggawas. Loslos ninyo," Mabanto said. (FREEMAN)