Senator Roxas saves life of Legacy investor in a Butuan forum yesterday

Ben Serrano wrote this article in his blog during a forum in Butuan City, Agusan del Norte. He reported that Senator Mar Roxas noticed a 67-year old public school teacher retiree named Lita Miranda, who invested in Celso de los Angeles' failed Legacy plans, went red and sweating after he high blood pressure soared high at the school auditorium of the St. Joseph Institute of Technology (SJIT) Thursday evening (March 19):

It took Senator Mar Roxas, chairman of the Senate Committee on Trade and Industry to notice 67 year old public school teacher retiree Lita Miranda’s face gone red and sweating after her high blood pressure soar high during forum about Legacy at the school auditorium of the St. Joseph Institute of Technology (SJIT) here in Butuan City Thursday evening (March 19).

Roxas was the first to notice Miranda trying to catch up with her breath as the senator immediately called the attention of his staff and the school medical authorities to rescue the 67 year old teacher retiree from San Francisco Pilot Elementary School in San Francisco, Agusan del Sur.

Roxas was at the middle of his speech before victims of Legacy’s double your money in three years scheme in a jampacked crowd mostly Legacy investors at SJIT school auditorium when he noticed something went wrong with Miranda.

"She is fine now however we recommended her confine at a hospital for a thorough medical check up", school nurses Rey Pacaya and Rea Murillo told this writer in an interview.

The two school nurses of St. Joseph Institute of Technology (SJIT) were the ones attending Miranda whom they claimed suffered sudden soar of blood pressure due hypertension.

"She suffers sudden soar of high blood pressure as she was sweating cold and look pale, it would be another story if took sometime before she was rescued", SJIT nurse Rey Pacaya told this writer.

SJIT President Dr. Leticia Cebrian Salas was present when her two school nurses give Miranda medical attention and try to console the retired public school teacher.

After resting for thirty minutes Miranda, later, told this writer she lost some P600,000 from Legacy’s double your money scheme in three years that gone haywire.

A companion of Mrs. Miranda, Hilda Herdes Lahi, 66, also a retired public school teacher from San Francisco Pilot Elementary School in San Francisco, Agusan del Sur who seated beside Miranda at the forum told this writer in an interview she didn’t noticed Miranda already suffered mild stroke but noticed her hands were cold and sweating.

"It was after Senator Roxas speaking in microphone took noticed of my seatmate then I comforted her and asked for help", Lahi who claimed she too lost her all her retirement benefits in the amount of P675,000 to Legacy.

She noticed Miranda’s face gone red when Senator Roxas was explaining difficulty of Legacy victims to retrieve back their capital investments in the way things are going now with the Senate Inquiry by which Senator Roxas was initiating as chair of the Senate Committee on Trade and Industry.

Roxas explained to forum participants, he is only telling the truth saying sales agents of local Legacy offices could have explained to their clients or would be investors the consequences of the double your money scheme while telling the investors they could have seek advises from lawyers in the business they are in.

But somebody from the crowd replied some lawyers too were victimized allegedly by Legacy.

Roxas further explained he don’t want to give false promises and sound like a politician as frankly told forum participants the chances of getting back their money is remote but raises hope when he told victim investors he will exert efforts and will do everything he can to help.

Lahi revealed many of her co-teacher retirees from San Francisco, Agusan del Sur also losses all the money they got from their retirement benefits. Another co-teacher of hers also suffered a stroke and couldn’t hardly buy sustaining medicines now.

Lahi told this writer an estimated one hundred government retirees from San Francisco, Agusan del Sur alone were duped of Legacy’s double your money scheme in three years and losses all their hard earned money.

"Each one of these retirees have invested P600,000, P500,000 to low P100,000 each to Legacy" Lahi said.

The forum with Senator Mar Roxas was initiated by the Butuan Chamber of Commerce and Industry who is helping victims of Legacy Investment Scam.

BCCI Secretary General Leah Medado told this writer the chamber is doing everything it can and has even offered an office space for the newly formed Association of Caraga Legacy Claimants to give victims a venue to ventilate their problems in a forum like the recently concluded one with no less than Senator Mar Roxas conducting.

Medado explained sixty percent of the more than 600 victims of the Legacy Scam are coming from Butuan City mostly traders, professionals and retirees.

When asked why said investment scam that victimizes more than 600 Caraga residents, practically all of them professionals be made public so that it will served as warning by telling the public all what had happened, Medado explained the investors begged not to be identified.

"They don’t want to be mock or pre-judged by the public", Medado explained.

But when explained, the scam has already been made public anyway except local details how and why and even a Roman Catholic priest in Southern Leyte, admitted in nationwide television he too was victimized by Legacy, Medado just replied with a smile while thanking this writer for attending the forum.

Medado invited this writer to attend the chamber-sponsored forum.

I hope Celso de los Angeles would realize the damage and hopelessness that he has afflicted to everyone who trusted their future to de los Angeles' Legacy.

To Celso de los Angeles, please don't leave a legacy of false promises. Give their money back!

UPDATE 3:00 PM: Here are the pictures of Senator Mar Roxas and Lita Miranda during the Legacy forum.