CABANATUAN CITY, Nueva Ecija – Reports on the presence of a grenade and a high-powered firearm during a verbal tussle between the supporters of two contenders claiming to be the rightful owner of Jaen town has Provincial Police Director Col. Marvin Joe Saro alarmed.
"We will conduct an investigation, fairly and squarely, that's why I'm urging the both contending parties to have it blottered and file necessary complain, particularly yung alegation na mayroon daw naglabas ng baril,” Saro said.
Saro was referring to an incident on Monday, January 25, when the group of Sylvia Austria, who stepped down as Jaen mayor last December on orders of a regional trial court (RTC), trooped to the municipal hall to present a temporary restraining order (TRO) that was issued by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) head office to Mayor Antonio Prospero Esquivel.
But before the group of Austria could reach the municipal hall, Esquivel’s supporters padlocked the gates.
And it was after Austria’s group was able to gain entry into the compound by using a bolt cutter that Esquivel and his supporter rushed to meet them, with some reportedly wielding guns.
In the confrontation between Austria’s lawyer Dominic Garen and Esquivel, supporters of both groups shouted invectives at each other before being prevailed upon by the Police Civil Disturbance Management (PCDM) group of the Provincial Police Office to calm down.
A female supporter of Esquivel said she saw one of Austria’s supporters holding a grenade even in the presence of policemen.
Austria’s camp, on the other hand, said they have a cellphone camera footage showing Esquivel carrying a weapon that looked like a long firearm during the confrontation.
"Once we gather sufficient evidence, then we will file charges, it will depend also on the complaint," Saro said.
The dispute between Esquivel and Austria, who have a long standing political rivalry in Jaen, started when the former filed an electoral protest, contesting the latter's victory iin the May 13, 2019 elections.
Austria got 20,815 votes as against Esquivel's 18,461 in the final result of Comelec counting.
However, the RTC, thru a recount sought by Esquivel, overturned the result in which he came up with 18,737 votes over Austria's 14,392 votes. This recount led to the order ousting Austria from office last December 16.
But Austria sought remedy with the Comelec head office, and got a 60-day TRO, enjoining RTC Judge Angelo Perez to “cease and desist” from involvement in the Jaen electoral controversy.
The Comelec ruling, penned by Commissioner Socorro Inting and issued on January 12, further ordered that "in the event that Esquivel has already assumed office and performed the functions of municipal mayor, a is hereby issued", as it directs Esquivel to "peacefully turn over the subject post to petitioner Sylvia Austria".
This was the TRO that Austira’s group tried to enforce on Monday before the standoff at the Jaen municipal grounds.