Alleged car smuggler held, is free on bail

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—Alleged luxury car and motorcycle smuggler Lynard Allan Bigcas spent a night in jail after agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Northern Mindanao arrested him on a charge of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

NBI officials were not immediately available for comment, but Bigcas’ lawyer, Jose Pallugna,  confirmed Friday that his client was arrested by five NBI agents led by Wenceslao Galendez at about 11 p.m. on Thursday.

The lawyer disclosed that Bigcas was nabbed under a warrant of arrest issued by Judge Jose Yamut of the Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon Regional Trial Court.

Pallugna said the arrest warrant was issued in connection with the recent NBI raids on Bigcas’ houses  here and in Talakag, Bukidnon, where several firearms had been seized.

At the raid, NBI agents also seized various luxury items, among them the $80,000-custom motorcycle allegedly previously stolen from Hollywood scriptwriter Skip Woods.

One night only

“After spending one night in a cell inside the NBI compound, Bigcas posted P80,000 in bail for his release after lunch yesterday,” Pallugna said.

He said Bigcas walked out of the NBI detention cell at about 4 p.m. after Executive Judge Evelyn Neri of the Regional Trial Court Branch 19 here issued the order of release and undertaking on bail.

Pallugna said the arrest order issued by the Bukidnon court was questionable because it was only Friday that they got a copy of the Bukidnon prosecutor’s office’s resolution backing the filing of charges against Bigcas for illegal possession of firearms.

“We were supposed to have 15 days to file for a motion for reconsideration,” he said.

As to the smuggling charges against his client, Pallugna said, he was still waiting for the result of the investigation that the Department of Justice had conducted. JB Deveza, Inquirer Mindanao