Treñas, Gonzalez trade barbs on number of security detail
By Maricar M. Calubiran
Fierce political battle between the camps of Mayor Jerry Treñas and Presidential Legal Counsel Raul Gonzalez, Sr. continues as they traded barbs on the number of security detail they should have as election period starts.
Yesterday, Mayor Jerry Treñas accused Gonzalez of having seven police security detail and a police official as bodyguards. Treñas said the Philippine National Police and the Comelec must check on how many police escorts the former secretary has.
The PNP and the Comelec must do something before cops would turn into “goons in uniform.” The only people who made policemen into goons are the Ampatuan’s in Maguindanao, said Treñas.
He said the Gonzalezes must be made accountable if they have no authority from the Comelec and PNP on the prescribed number of security detail. They should not be tolerated.
Earlier, the mayor said he will abide with the law which only allows him to have two uniformed police escorts.
On his part, Gonzalez admitted he has more than two security details because of the gravity of threat on his life. Though, he refused to say how many police escorts he has in Manila and Iloilo City.
In a radio interview, Gonzalez said the Comelec has just approved his request for additional police escorts. He would not exactly say how many police escort is assigned to him but he denied he has 10 escorts.
The former justice secretary said he has escorts from the Philippine National Police and the Witness and Protection Program of the Department of Justice. All are authorized to secure and protect him.
Gonzalez said the people who went along with him in his different public engagements are former barangay captains. They are not armed.
He lamented on why Treñas and even Vice Mayor Jed Mabilog are making an issue out of the security detail he has. They have also their own security detail. “Mabilog’s escorts are even carrying long firearms,” said Gonzalez.
