PANIQUI, Tarlac -- The first casualty in the ongoing turmoil at Paniqui Municipal Hall is Police Superintendent Carlito Grijaldo, chief of Police of the town after he was relieved of his post following the instructions of Philippine National Police Regional Director General Raul Petrasanta to Senior Superintendent Alex Sintin, Provincial Director of Tarlac Provincial Police Office.
Sintin said the relief of Grijaldo aims to defuse the tension in the controversial tug of war in the position of mayor of the said town.
According to Acting Mayor Genevieve Linsao, Grijaldo was with contender Rommel David when some men under the darkness of dawn last October 29, 2014 forcibly entered the municipal hall by breaking down the rear door and aimed their guns and rifles at civilians staying in the said building.
"They tried to occupy the Mayor's Office at the second floor. They arrested the women and forcibly took them to the police station," Linsao said.
She said the act of Grijaldo was treachery: "Maayos ang usapan namin ni hepe na status quo muna ang lahat dahil iyon ang utos ng DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government). Walang kikilos hangga't hindi nagsasabi sa isa't isa," Linsao said.
She said she lodged a complaint before the PNP against the unwarranted action of Grijaldo. The sacked police officer was replaced by Police Superintendent Salvador Destura who is the current Chief of Police of the town of Capas ,also in Tarlac province.
The supporters of the beleaguered Mayor Miguel "Dors" Cojuangco Rivilla were irked with the policemen manning the front door of the building when they learned what happened inside the building. They began to chide and taunt them and hurled invectives against them.
Sintin ordered Destura to remove the policemen and their shields at the front door as a confidence-building measure for the people. Destura said the first step he did as he assumed his new post is to talk with the two camps and laid down what measures he will take to pacify both warring groups. He said he explained to them that he will abide by the decision of DILG that everything will be on status quo. But he vowed that he will arrest anybody who will start commotion.
Paniqui is in confusion right now as it has three mayors. David was sworn in by Judge Valderrama of RTC Branch 65 as the new mayor.
Assisting Judge Agapito Laoagan Jr. declared him as the winner of the May 13, 2013 mayoralty election after the manual revision of the election ballots. Rivilla maintained that he will honor only the result of vote counted by the Commission on Elections.