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Manila Bulletin devider devider Negros town mayor denies hand in ambush slay

Negros town mayor denies hand in ambush slay

Published May 1, 2019 10:23 am
By Glazyl Masculino  BACOLOD CITY - Moises Padilla Mayor Magdaleno Peña has vehemently denied involvement in the ambush last week which killed a councilor and his uncle last week. Moises Padilla Mayor Magdaleno Peña (Contributed Photo / MANILA BULLETIN) Moises Padilla Mayor Magdaleno Peña
(Contributed Photo / MANILA BULLETIN) Reelectionist Councilor Jose Antonio Garcia and his uncle, Jose Marcelino Garcia were killed last April 25 by some 20 unidentified armed men in an attack at Barangay Inolingan after coming from a campaign sortie. Both victims were related to Vice Mayor Ella Celestina Garcia-Yulo who is running against Peña for the mayoralty position. Peña, in a press briefing on Monday at the municipal hall in Pulupandan town said "they (Garcia) have a history of killing each other." “I point back at them. They kill each other," he added. Despite being implicated in the incident, Peña said the people of Moises Padilla support him because of his performance. Councilor Agustin Grande III has offered a P2.5 million bounty for any information that could help identify the persons behind the ambush. The top officials of the province had earlier offered a P2 million reward for the arrest of the killers. The police earlier filed a murder complaint against Grande after he was tagged in the ambush, but he was ordered released by the Office of the Prosecutor due to insufficient evidence. “I have nothing to do with the Garcia killings,” Grande said, adding he does not even hold any personal grudge against them. "I do not need to put the law into my hands, he said. He believed that the implication of his name was due to revenge, following a murder case he recently filed against Garcia-Yulo for her alleged role in the killing of his brother in 2016, which remained unsolved. The Regional Joint Security Control Center (RJSCC), in an emergency meeting in Bacolod City on Sunday, signed a resolution recommending to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc to place the Municipality of Moises Padilla under Comelec control due to the recent election-related violence and presence of the New People’s Army (NPA) which according to them pose danger in the peaceful conduct of this year's elections. The RJSCC is composed of the Comelec, Philippine Army, and the Philippine National Police. The same recommendation was also made by the PJSCC last week. While waiting for the approval from the Comelec en banc, additional policemen and military troops were deployed in the town to maintain peace and order and prevent further acts of violence that may take place as election nears. At least three reelectionist councilors have been killed in the province this year - two in Moises Padilla and one in Escalante City.
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