ILOILO – An ongoing excavation at a private lot in Barangay Pasong, Igbaras town has alarmed residents.
Behind an enclosure surrounding the lot, men are reportedly digging for treasures.
Some residents say the diggers are looking for the buried gold treasures of World War 2 Japanese general Tomoyuki Yamashita.
But what worries residents are the possible adverse effects of the excavation on their village such as landslide, soil erosion and the earth caving in.
Led by Igbaras’ Mayor Jaime Esmeralda, barangay officials of Pasong sought the help of Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. yesterday.
“I learned that the excavation has been going on for about one and half years already beginning in 2018 before I was elected mayor. Residents fear this could result to soil erosion. Nine nearby households are very concerned,” said Esmeralda.
According to the mayor, around 10 diggers have so far covered 1,000 square meters.
From what he had gathered, said Esmeralda, a certain Noly Laquihon Bayogos claimed to have secured a “Treasure Hunting and Disposition of Recovered Treasures Permit” from the National Museum of the Philippines purportedly signed by Angel Bautista, acting assistant director, chief, Cultural Properties Regulation Division of the museum. The mayor wanted this verified.
As far as the municipal government of Igbaras and barangay council of Pasong were concerned, said Esmeralda, they have not issued any permit for treasure hunting, ground excavation or mining in the village.
For his part, Barangay Captain Cornelio Elumba of Pasong dismissed speculations there could be Yamashita treasures buried in his village.
“Kon tuod nga may ara, kontani damo nga mal-am ang mahambal sina,” he said.
Yamashita was assigned to defend the Japan-colonized Philippines from the advancing Allied forces in the waning years of World War 2. He failed to stop the Allied advance, and Japan ultimately surrendered in August 1945.
Before his Philippine assignment, Yamashita and his men were said to have plundered other Southeast Asian countries that Japan attacked and/or invaded during the war and buried the loot in the Philippines.
According to Esmeralda, he had also written National Museum of the Philippines’s head Jeremy Barns seeking information about the so-called permit issued to Bayogos.
Part of the letter read: “This is in response to the complaint received by my office regarding the alleged treasure hunting in Barangay Pasong, Igbaras, Iloilo. We have exhausted all possible means to settle the issue by calling for a dialogue with the permitee, Noly Laquihon Bayogos with permit No. CPD-THP-2019-20 dated June 01, 2019 issued by the National Museum and signed by Angel P. Bautista, acting assistant director, chief, CPRD. However, upon discussion, the permitee refused to suspend their activity despite the petition of the barangay officials and residents. The location is said to be at very high risk of landslide and soil erosion as per assessment of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau.”
According to Esmeralda, the municipal police was also tasked to investigate but the cops were turned away and told that only President Rodrigo Duterte could stop the excavation.
Defensor vowed to help verify the Igbaras digging at the National Museum of the Philippines.
He also alerted the Provincial Legal Office and Provincial Environment and Natural Resources./PN
