ANGELES CITY, Pampanga — Two men are facing criminal charges after they were allegedly caught cutting and removing steel bars embedded in a concrete slope protection structure along Sapang Balen Creek in Barangay San Nicolas, Angeles City, authorities said.
The incident has drawn attention because the steel bars were part of a public infrastructure structure designed to help protect the creek bank—particularly significant amid periods of heavy rain and flooding in Angeles City.
According to the Angeles City Police Office, charges for theft and malicious mischief have been filed against the two suspects, identified only by their aliases, “Ryan,” a resident of Barangay Cutcut, Angeles City, and “Mervin,” from Barangay Manibaug Paralaya, Porac, Pampanga.
Barangay official reportedly witnessed the incident
Police said Barangay San Nicolas Chairperson Amalia Torres personally saw two men allegedly cutting and removing steel bars from the creek’s slope protection at around 1 p.m. on Aug. 30, while heavy rain was falling.
Torres reportedly confronted the men, prompting them to leave the area.
But according to the police account, the suspects allegedly returned after the barangay official had left and continued removing the steel bars. The incident was captured on a mobile phone.
The video was subsequently reported to the Angeles City police on Sept. 2.
Police investigators reviewed the footage and worked with local officials to identify the two suspects. They were later invited for questioning and confronted by Torres and representatives from the Angeles City Engineering Office on Sept. 3.
Why the steel bars matter
The controversy goes beyond the alleged loss of scrap metal.
Sapang Balen Creek has long been the subject of flood-management and rehabilitation efforts. Government documents show that the waterway has previously been the site of rehabilitation, slope-protection and flood-mitigation projects, including works in portions of Angeles City.
The Department of Public Works and Highways has also listed various flood-control and slope-protection projects involving Sapang Balen Creek and surrounding areas in its infrastructure programs.
That makes any unauthorized removal or destruction of components potentially more serious than an ordinary property-theft case: damage to flood-control infrastructure can undermine the structure’s intended protection of creek banks and nearby communities.
Sapang Balen is a major waterway in the city
The creek is not an isolated drainage channel. Earlier reports have described Sapang Balen Creek as one of Angeles City’s major waterways, running across several barangays.
Previous cleanup and rehabilitation efforts have focused on illegal structures, waste disposal and other problems affecting the creek.
The city’s longstanding efforts to maintain the waterway underscore why local officials are particularly concerned about damage to infrastructure along its banks.
Authorities urge residents to report suspicious activity
Following the latest incident, the Angeles City government urged residents to report suspicious activities involving creeks, drainage systems, slope-protection structures and other public infrastructure.
The call comes as communities in Central Luzon continue to contend with heavy rainfall and flooding during periods of enhanced southwest monsoon activity.
For now, the two suspects are facing allegations, not a final finding of guilt. The filing of theft and malicious-mischief charges means the accusations will have to undergo the appropriate legal process.
The bigger question now: how much damage can the removal of seemingly ordinary steel bars cause to infrastructure meant to protect an entire community?
Related Infrastructure Concern
The incident also comes at a time when authorities have been closely scrutinizing the condition and safety of steel materials used in Philippine infrastructure.
Separately, the National Bureau of Investigation recently confirmed that steel bars recovered from the rubble of the collapsed nine-story building in Angeles City were traced to Chuangxing Steel Inc., a steel plant under investigation. The NBI has said its investigation involves allegations concerning substandard steel products.
The NBI previously announced the seizure of allegedly substandard steel products and radioactive-bearing industrial materials at the Pampanga facility, with authorities recommending prosecution of company officers over alleged violations of several Philippine laws.
The two incidents are separate and should not be conflated: the Sapang Balen case concerns the alleged theft and destruction of steel bars forming part of a creek slope-protection structure, while the NBI investigation concerns allegedly substandard steel products and hazardous materials connected to a steel manufacturing operation.
WWC ONE MEDIA
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