Tuesday, March 06, 2007 City execs lash out prov'l chiefs for their alibi By Jay Dooma Balnig
ILOILO City officials want the Capitol to apologize for making unverified reports on bomb threat as its excuse to cancel the Genuine Opposition's (GO) political rally last Thursday here.
City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas said the unconfirmed report, which was aired nationally, has put the city in bad light, which it does not deserve. It was therefore, unfair to the City Government and its people.
Thus, the City Government seeks an apology from the Provincial officials who asserted the same claim while the PNP here has not verified any threat relating to the GO rally.
Treñas and Department of Tourism (DOT) Regional Director Edwin Trompeta lamented that the claim of the Capitol officials has damaged the city's tourism, which they have labored so much for. The only way regain it is to repent on doing it, said the two.
The two officials, state through a text message, "Tourism wise, the announcement made by (Provincial Administrator Manuel) Mejorada re: threat of violence against GO rally was very damaging to image of the city and province both national and internationally. Police investigation points to contrived reason to justify failure in organization of opposition. Capitol must apologize to the city of Iloilo to clear good name of Iloilo City achieved through hard work and painstaking promotion by Mayor Jerry Treñas and the people. It was a foul means and very unpatriotic."
Last Friday afternoon, Chief Inspector Musa Amiong, chief of Iloilo City Police Office Intelligence Section issued statement that the bomb threat is not real according to their initial probe.
He added that even the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency and the Police Regional Intelligence and Investigation Division (RIID) did not receive any report regarding the said threat.
Amiong, reported to be a close ally of Secretary Raul Gonzalez Sr., added that during the said scheduled rally of GO last February 28, there are only about 200 people who are present at the Capitol grounds.
City policemen were deployed ahead of the said rally schedule and police security personnel were tasked to secure senatoriables and VIPs.
However, same cops assigned as security in the said place did not receive any information as well as any report regarding the threat.
Governor Niel Tupas Sr., said he has received calls from his supporters informing him that the rally might turn into peril if they pursue it.
Tupas likened the probable result of the rally to the Capitol siege, which was unexpected. "We don't want to risk the lives of our candidates and our supporters," he told the media.
