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BACOLOD CITY, Philippines – The Police Regional Office 6 on Thursday, April 11, relieved Senior Supt Celestino Guara as caretaker of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office, following the firing of M-203 grenades Wednesday night, April 10, at the residential compound of Mayor Lourdes Escalante in Barangay Punta Mesa, Manapla, Negros Occidental
While nobody was hurt in the incident, the firing hit the walls of the mayor’s dirty kitchen, according to her husband, Manuel Escalante, an executive assistant of reelectionist Gov. Alfredo Maranon Jr. It also prompted the family to bring Escalante’s daughter and 16 children of their workers who live in the 200-hectare compound to a nearby hospital due to extreme nervousness.
Mayor Escalante is a key ally of Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr, who earlier asked Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas to relieve Guara allegedly because of political partisanship.
Guara will be replaced by Senior Supt. Ricardo de la Paz, intelligence chief of the Police Regional Office 6
Marañon, who condemned the incident, described it as “a very clear case of intimidation.” Marañon earlier asked the Commission on Elections to put the province under Comelec control during the May elections.
Last week, a supporter of Escalante mayoral candidate Santiago Barcelona and the United Negros Alliance headed by Marañon, as well as a policeman were killed by suspected New People’s Army rebels in Escalante City.
Inspector Julius Ceasar Colado, Manapla police officer-in-charge, said they are still establishing the motive of the incident, adding there is no threat to the life of Mayor Escalante.
Escalante,who is seeking reelection, is being challenged by former Mayor Edilberto Vocal, an ally of gubernatorial candidate Genaro Alvarez, who is being supported by business tycoon Eduardo Cojuangco.
Earlier, the entire police force of Pulupandan town and their chief Senior Inspector Edfel Balibadlan, were relieved to prevent them from being used by politicians in the coming May elections. – Rappler.com
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