Two men charged for alleged theft of steel bars from Angeles creek slope protection

MABALACAT CITY, Pampanga — Charges have been filed against two men who were caught allegedly smashing a portion of the Sapang Balen Creek’s concrete slope protection in Barangay San Nicolas, Angeles City, and stealing steel bars embedded in it. Col. Robert Domingo, officer-in-charge of the Angeles City Police Office, told the Inquirer in a text message Saturday (Sept. 5) that charges of theft and malicious mischief had been filed against the suspects. Police identified the suspects only as aliases “Ryan,” a resident of Barangay Cutcut, Angeles City, and “Mervin,” from Barangay Manibaug Paralaya in Porac, Pampanga. On Monday, on its social media page, the Angeles City government condemned the destruction of the slope protection and the alleged theft of its steel bars. “Amid heavy rains and flooding caused by the southwest monsoon, an incident involving the alleged destruction of a slope protection structure, as well as the cutting and removal of steel bars embedded in it, was reported at Sapang Balen Creek in Barangay San Nicolas, Angeles City,” it said in Filipino. On Thursday, Angeles City police investigated the incident and learned from Barangay San Nicolas Chairperson Amalia Torres that she personally saw two men cutting and removing steel bars from the slope protection at around 1 p.m. on Aug. 30 amid heavy rain. “She reportedly confronted the suspects, prompting them to leave the area. However, the suspects allegedly returned after she had left, and continued removing the steel bars,” police said. The incident was captured on a mobile phone and reported to the Angeles City police on Sept. 2. Police investigation and a review of the video footage led to the identification of the suspects, who were invited for questioning and confronted by Torres and officials of the Angeles City Engineering Office on Sept. 3. The Angeles City government urged the public to report suspicious activities along creeks, drainage systems, slope protection structures, and other public infrastructure to the authorities. /apl This incident highlights the vulnerability of infrastructure in the Philippines and the impact of crimes targeting it on public safety and maintenance. The theft of construction materials like steel bars can compromise the structural integrity of facilities, making them more susceptible to damage during natural disasters like floods.