BANGUED, Abra – The whole Pilar town of this province has been placed under Commission on Election (Comelec) control as 30 personnel of the Pilar Municipal Police Station have been relieved in connection with the shooting incident on March 29 between the Vice Mayor and the police.
Col. Maly Cula, provincial director of the Abra Provincial Police Office, administered the turn-over of command and Personnel Ceremony of Pilar MPS on May 4 and appointed Capt. Daryl Garro of Regional Mobile Force Battalion-15 as acting chief of police.
At the same time, Pilar is under Comelec control due to security reasons as Election 2022 approaches.
The 30 personnel of the Pilar MPS, including the chief of police Capt. Ronaldo Eslabra are now at the Personnel Holding and Accounting Section (PHAS) of the Abra PPO and are scheduled to be assigned to election duties in other municipalities.
The replacement of police personnel was ordered by BGen. Ronald Oliver Lee, regional director of the Police Regional Office-Cordillera as the town of Pilar was placed under Comelec control following the shooting incident on March 29 between the police and the group of Mayor Jaja Josefina Somera- Disono.
It can be recalled that on April 6, PROCOR filed a lawsuit in violation of Republic Act 9208 as amended by RA 10364 or the Expanded Trafficking in Person Act against Mayor Mark Roland Somera and his sister Vice-Mayor Jaja Josefina Somera - Disono, of Pilar, Abra, in connection with the surrender of 12 former military men who provided security aids after the stand-off at the Somera/Disono family compound.
A case of violation of Article 151 of the Revised Penal Code or 'Serious Disobedience of Lawful Orders of Agent of Person in Authority' was filed against Jericho Toreno Bufil, Robert Boreta Toreno, Emmanuel Nicanor Valera and Sandee Boy Bermudo who were in a van that ignored the police checkpoint.
A case of Multiple Attempted Murder was also filed against Bufil who allegedly fired a gun while police personnel were pursuing them.
The National Bureau of Investigation-National Capital Region recently released their investigation that Disono's group allegedly did nothing in the incident and no visible police checkpoint was set up, based on CCTV footage obtained in the area.
The NBI also announced on April 29 the filing of a case of murder, perjrury against 12 identified police officers, several unidentified police personnel of Pilar MPS, RMFB-15, intelligence unit of Abra PPO and an election officer, in connection with the death of a bodyguard of Disono.
As of press time, PROCOR has not yet issued a statement regarding the filing of a case against them by Vice Mayor Disono.