BONGABON, Nueva Ecija – Tension gripped this eastern Nueva Ecija town after unidentified men lobbed a grenade at the residence of a ranking election official in Barangay Sinipit Wednesday night.
Senior. Insp. Armando Santiago, town police chief, said the grenade exploded and partly damaged the glass window of the house and fence of the house of Pacifico Gijapon, 62, municipal election officer.
No one was hurt in the incident, Santiago reported.
Investigation disclosed the Gijapon, along with his family, was sleeping when the explosive was lobbed by unidentified suspects.
Operatives from the Philippine National Police Crime Laboratory recovered shrapnel from the crime scene.
Police records showed the grenade throwing was the third in a row of presumably election -related violence.
On the eve of October 26, police reported, suspects successively strafed with .45 cal. the houses of Barangay Captain Antonio Alejo of Palomaria and Andy Canati of San Roque. Canati is the presdent of the Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) of Bongabon.
The strafing left no injuries, though.
Mayor Amelia Gamilla said it was the first time such violence occurred at the onset of the election season in her town, an agricultural municipality known as the onion basket of the Philippines.
Gamilla belongs to Bagong Lakas ng Nueva Ecija or Balane, the party of the powerful Joson clan. She was widow of the former mayor.
But Gamilla expressed belief her imminent opponent would spouse peaceful election. “Nanggaling siya sa organisasyon na nangangalaga sa kapayapaan,” she said.
The Unang Sigaw, Partido ng Pagbabago, a new local political party recently launched by Gov. Aurelio Umali has named former police Chief Supt. Ricardo Padilla as its bet against Gamilla in the mayoralty post.
Santiago said people would easily believe the attacks were politically motivated but “it’s different for us.” The police chief said investigations are still in progress for them to determine the motve as well as the identity of the perpetrators.
Senior Supt. Ricardo Marquez, Nueva Ecija police director, ordered the issuance of police security personnel for Gijapon, Santiago said.
Senior. Insp. Armando Santiago, town police chief, said the grenade exploded and partly damaged the glass window of the house and fence of the house of Pacifico Gijapon, 62, municipal election officer.
No one was hurt in the incident, Santiago reported.
Investigation disclosed the Gijapon, along with his family, was sleeping when the explosive was lobbed by unidentified suspects.
Operatives from the Philippine National Police Crime Laboratory recovered shrapnel from the crime scene.
Police records showed the grenade throwing was the third in a row of presumably election -related violence.
On the eve of October 26, police reported, suspects successively strafed with .45 cal. the houses of Barangay Captain Antonio Alejo of Palomaria and Andy Canati of San Roque. Canati is the presdent of the Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) of Bongabon.
The strafing left no injuries, though.
Mayor Amelia Gamilla said it was the first time such violence occurred at the onset of the election season in her town, an agricultural municipality known as the onion basket of the Philippines.
Gamilla belongs to Bagong Lakas ng Nueva Ecija or Balane, the party of the powerful Joson clan. She was widow of the former mayor.
But Gamilla expressed belief her imminent opponent would spouse peaceful election. “Nanggaling siya sa organisasyon na nangangalaga sa kapayapaan,” she said.
The Unang Sigaw, Partido ng Pagbabago, a new local political party recently launched by Gov. Aurelio Umali has named former police Chief Supt. Ricardo Padilla as its bet against Gamilla in the mayoralty post.
Santiago said people would easily believe the attacks were politically motivated but “it’s different for us.” The police chief said investigations are still in progress for them to determine the motve as well as the identity of the perpetrators.
Senior Supt. Ricardo Marquez, Nueva Ecija police director, ordered the issuance of police security personnel for Gijapon, Santiago said.
