Junkshop owners warned against buying,selling electric wires

CABANATUAN CITY - Selling anything worth P50,000 for only P5,000, is something fishy.
That was how Senior Supt. Alex Paul I. Monteagudo, chief of the Nueva Ecija provincial police office, illustrated a case of anti-fencing before hundreds of junkshop owners from all over the province the other day.

Monteagudo met with all junkshop owners, along with all the chiefs of police in Nueva Ecija’s 32 towns and cities in a conference called by the National Transmission Corp. (Transco) amid the increasing cases of looting of aluminium wires and parts of the firm’s transmission tower.

Jose M. Bautista, officer –in-charge of Transco Nueva Ecija-Aurora Branch, said the company sought police assistance to arrest the problem which create trouble not only to the government’s fund but also poses dangers to people.

“Most of these materials were acquired by loan and the government are still paying for them,” Bautista said. He did not elaborate.

Monteagudo also instructed his men to exercise their visitation power to establishments within their respective jurisdiction in tracking down the suspects. “For the junkshop owners, you have no option but to surrender the things illegally sold to you or call the attention of the police in the event you sense something fishy,” he stressed.

A junkshop owner from the far town of Cuyapo admitted having accumulated a large volume of aluminium wire from his day-to-day business but said his contact in Metro Manila refused to buy them from him. He asked if the government can buy his goods.

But Monteagudo said reiterated the junkshop owner would better sacrifice the money he used in purchasing the illegal items by surrendering them than be charged for it. -Armand M. Galang