Witness saw mayor punch van driver, says NBI exec

A National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) official on Saturday accused Mandaluyong Mayor Benhur Abalos of twisting the facts when the latter refuted an NBI report which claimed that he manhandled the driver of an armored van on Shaw Boulevard on Friday.

Abalos earlier said that the NBI had misinterpreted the report.

But lawyer Ricardo Diaz, NBI Central Luzon director, said a bank teller who was left in the armored van claimed that he saw how Abalos “accosted, punched and dragged out” the driver of the armored van servicing East West Bank who was identified in police reports as Daniel Valenzuela.

Diaz said he got his information from the armored van’s owner.

The NBI official said he had advised the driver’s employer to complain to Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo in order to pave the way for an official investigation.

Abalos earlier said he merely accosted the driver because the armored van was parked on the busy thoroughfare and obstructing traffic.

According to the mayor, the driver was escorted to city hall where he was meted out a fine.

Abalos also claimed that he shouldered the fine as a goodwill gesture.

“It appears Mayor Abalos is twisting the facts to make it appear he is the aggrieved party and should even be commended for his abusive acts,” Diaz said in a text message to the Inquirer.

“This ‘wang-wang’ (siren)  mentality should not be countenanced by the DILG,” he added.

Diaz said Abalos should not have behaved that way because the driver was just performing an official function. Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon