Wong says ‘cliché’ to link politics

SAN SIMON -- Mayor Leonora Wong on Monday refuted the statement of vice-mayoralty aspirant Engr. Migz Yambao’s camp branding the attack against him as “politically motivated.”

Wong, who is also reportedly eyeing the vice-mayoralty seat, said that it is “too cliche” to immediately link the attack to politics and exclude other possible angles without conducting a thorough investigation.

It could be remembered that the house and car of Yambao in Barangay Concepcion were riddled with bullets by still unidentified gunmen who were allegedly onboard a blue car on the evening of September 13.

Yambao, together with his supposed runningmate mayoralty aspirant Engr. Abundio “Jun” Punsalan, Jr. were quick to point at politics on the possible motive of the attack, but failed to particularly mention any names.

“When you are seeking a public position and you are challenging the incumbents, it would be cliché to say that whatever attack on you is politically motivated. I’m saying cliché because most politicians immediately link any accidents that happens to them to politics even without substantial evidence,” Wong said.

Wong challenged Yambao’s camp to file a formal complaint against the people they think are responsible for the attack before the proper court to prove their allegations and get the justice they deserve.

“They must identify the people they thought were behind the attack and file a formal complaint against them so that they will be prosecuted. You cannot just drop allegations in public without presenting enough evidence because you are creating unnecessary alarm in the community,” she said.

However, town chief of police Chief Inspector Louie Gonzaga said Yambao and his camp still have not filed any complaint.

Gonzaga said that 17 days have already passed since the said incident transpired and the time limit prescribed in filing a case before the court had already lapsed.

Wong, meanwhile, asked Yambao and Punsalan to avoid correlating the cases of former local officials such as ex-Councilor Emelito “Popoy” Yambao and ex-Association of Barangay Captains President and Barangay Concepcion Chairman Sonny Simbulan who were both killed by two unidentified gunmen in their respective houses in Barangay Concepcion.

“Each case is independent from one another. You cannot link each other just because you wanted to prove a point. Your allegations must be backed up with factual and verified evidence,” Wong said.

But despite the alleged non-cooperation of Yambao’s camp, Wong said that she already instructed Gonzaga and the San Simon police to conduct an in-depth investigation that would provide resolution to the case.

Gonzaga, for his part, said that the police continue to monitor and conduct investigation on the case, and have already identified a lead that could possibly direct the investigating team to the suspects’ identification.

In the end, both Wong and Gonzaga assured Simonians that their town remains generally peaceful and that the local government and police are working hand-in-hand to maintain the town’s peace and order.