Retired cop fights for his home, a condemned Manila building

A retired policeman was arrested on Thursday for allegedly stealing construction materials and brandishing a gun to prevent workers from tearing down the condemned building where he lives in Quiapo, Manila.

Benjamin Abad, who retired with a rank of Senior Police Officer 4 and who had represented fellow tenants in questioning the demolition, was held by members of the Manila Police District (MPD) Sta. Cruz station for allegedly causing trouble at the Crown Building on Evangelista Street and later at another nearby structure.

The arrest came a day after three tenants of Crown and the neighboring Metro Kalaw Hotel, which was also scheduled to be torn down, went to the MPD to lodge a complaint against demolition teams who were allegedly violating a cease and desist order issued by Department of Public Works and Highways.

Both buildings are owned by the Evekal Realty Developers Inc.

In a report at MPD-Sta. Cruz, Abad and three other men allegedly forced their way into Crown Building on Wednesday night and made off with several pieces of lumber that were stacked on a parked truck.

They allegedly returned to the site the following day, with Abad brandishing a .45-cal. pistol as he ordered the demolition crew to stop working. Abad’s group then allegedly started destroying signboards pertaining to the demolition.

The group then went to the second floor of the neighboring Metro Kalaw, where the employees were preparing to receive equipment for the demolition, and again ordered a work stoppage.

MPD members arrived and arrested Abad on charges of trespassing, theft, malicious mischief, grave threats, and grave coercion.  The former policeman remained detained at the Sta. Cruz station as of Friday.

Tenants of the two condemned buildings maintained that the demolition was in violation of a June 26 order issued by the DPWH through Emmanuel Guntapay, acting executive director of the National Building Code Development Office.

Guntapay acted on an appeal from the tenants who called for the lifting of an April 13 notice of condemnation issued by Manila’s Office of the Building Official (OBO).

In his order, Guntapay directed the OBO to “cease and desist in implementing the demolition of the buildings until after the appeal is resolved with finality.”