Tuesday, May 01, 2007 Magsy unfazed by family’s support to rival By Nicolas C. Delfin and Genalin D. Ducay
PULUPANDAN mayoralty candidate Magdaleno "Magsy" Peña is not a bit bothered by his family's outright declaration of support to his rival candidate Samson Mondia.
"So what? It's a free country and they are always free to do whatever they want. In the end, it's the people who will decide who they will choose to sit as their mayor," Peña said.
Peña's statement came after his mother, Lyna and his brother Bonifacio along with his former live-in actress Plinky Recto and Aunt Gretchen Oppen-Cojuanco went to Pulupandan town and campaigned for Mondia Saturday.
Reports has it that the conflict between Peña and his mother and his brother started from a dispute on a land property in the town that was solely acquired by Peña.
Recto, on the other hand, advised the people not to vote for Peña.
"Tama ba na pumili kayo ng mayor na nanakit at pinapalayas kayo ng basta na lang?(Is it right to choose a mayor who had been hurting and even abandoned his family?)," Recto said.
Peña, however, reiterated that the said residents have been squatting in their family-owned property for almost 50 years while he pays taxes for it.
He added that he is willing to help some of the residents in the evacuation but the rest would be the responsibility of the incumbent town mayor Luis Mondia to look for the site for the ejected residents.
Meanwhile, Karapatan- Negros has also expressed their disfavor on Peña and is campaigning against the latter this coming election.
Karapatan - Negros chairperson Fred Caña said Peña symbolizes a "warlord" here in Negros Occidental.
"He can control the Philippine National Police (PNP), change decisions of the court and he has been violating the human rights of the residents in Pulupandan," Caña said.
"If this candidate wins in the election, he will only use it to further his personal interest," he added.
Caña said the eviction order that Peña imposes on the residents is a violation of their rights.
The group laments on Peña's "apparent disregard of law and the fact that he remains to be untouchable with his influential connections."
Injured supporter
On the other hand, Rudy Jardeleza, a known supporter of Peña was injured after two of alleged Mondia's supporters allegedly shot him later that Saturday evening at a basketball court in Barangay Zone 4, Pulupandan town.
The suspects were identified as Dionisio Raful and Kiko Dechino. Both remain at large as of press time.
Jardeleza suffered a gunshot wound in the left thigh and was rushed to Bago City District Hospital, a nearby hospital, for immediate treatment.
Later, he was transferred to the Riverside Medical Center in Bacolod City where he is still confined as of press time.
Police reports said Jardeleza, along with his companions, Enrico Cabili; Gary Salaver, and Joey Yunque, was on their way home passing by a basketball court when Raful and Dechino assaulted them using caliber .38 caliber revolvers.
Police Officer 1 Edcel Carballo, Desk Officer of Pulupandan Police Station, said that prior to the incident, the four went to visit their fellow supporters who were detained at the local police station.
According to them, the suspects who were boarding two motorcycles and two other passenger tricycles carrying numerous supporters of Mondia, followed them from the police station up to the basketball court were the incident occurred.
Mondia's supporters were Robinson Galanza, Barangay Capt. Dioso, Remeul Española, Arnel Salazar, Diego Malacad, Alan Arellano, a certain Gamay Española, Tisoy Pormasyon, Cano Dioso, Likbang Dieso and Batuk Española.
The case is being investigated while manhunt against Raful and Dechino continues.
Police chief injured too
Meanwhile, Pulupandan Police Chief Ariel Pico was also reportedly stoned by still unidentified persons at about 1 a.m. along Taytay Bago near Crossing Ubay also in Pulupandan town on April 28.
Based on a police report, Pico, his men and policeman-chemists from Bacolod who conducted paraffin test on police-suspect Police Officer I Wennie Espinosa, were on board a police patrol car towards Bacolod City when they were stoned by still unidentified suspects.
One of the stones reportedly broke the right side window of the mobile car and at the same time hit Pico in his right cheek.
Iloilo Provincial Police Director Rosendo Franco told policemen in the town to be alert and secure themselves at all times especially during this peak period of election campaigns.
"Whatever happens they (policemen) should ensure the safety of the people especially the civilians as well as themselves in doing their job," Franco said.
He added that the despite occurrences of such violence in Pulupandan, "the situation is still manageable and under their control."
Two teams of policemen from the 612th Provincial Mobile Group (PMG) were also deployed in Pulupundan to augment the present Pulupandan police force and to avert in future violence to be caused by the present intense political situation in town.
