Add’l police troops storm Estancia town
The Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) added force to its existing personnel in Estancia town following the grenade-throwing incident outside the residence of mayoralty candidate Rene Cordero Friday evening last week.
IPPO director Senior Supt. Renato Gumban confirmed the deployment of the 7th Maneuver Platoon of the Iloilo Provincial Public Safety Management Company based in Sara, Iloilo.
The additional personnel are seen to primarily augment the conduct of checkpoints in the area.
But aside from the additional platoon of personnel, Gumban said that he already talked to Brig. Gen. Gerardo Layug, commanding officer of the 301st Infantry Brigade based in Camp Hernandez, Dingle, Iloilo, for the possible deployment of two teams from the Philippine Army.
The said move, he explained, is not only aimed at promoting the security of candidates but of the public, as well.
“Gen. Layug and I planned that one team each will secure the group of former Mayor Cordero while the other will be with Mayor (Restituto) Mosqueda,” Gumban said.
Meanwhile, PNP Regional Director Chief Supt. Isagani Cuevas said that the platoon of police personnel will implement the law without fear or favor.
“Our actions, while it will be both good and unpopular for both political camps but for the people of Estancia, it will be the best undertaking that the police should do,” he added.
However, Cuevas had doubts as to the deployment of Army personnel in Estancia.
“We have no basis for the deployment of Army personnel it is not recommended that soldiers should be in the town center of Estancia,” the PNP regional chief claimed.
Cuevas said, though, that the said matter should be taken up with the Regional Joint Security Control Center (R-JSCC).
It can be recalled that a grenade was lobbed at Cordero’s property.
The grenade did not crash into the house but dashed through the cemented fence, just outside the guardhouse where Cordero’s two police security details were sleeping.
No one was hurt in the incident. It just bore hole at the canal.
While most people were happy that the incident did not cause much damage, it left investigators with a lot of puzzles to piece together.
In fact, Estancia Police Station commander Senior Insp. Dwight Fonte, Jr. is not discounting the possibility that the culprits could just have been making a scenario.
But Cordero’s camp clarified that it did not go beyond the concrete fence, as it first battered the electrical line.
Cordero’s supporters also claimed that they have no suspects other than the camp of re-electionist Mayor Restituto Mosqueda.
Meanwhile, Mosqueda retired police general, is also one with the observation of the Estancia PNP that the incident could just be a part of drama portraying that Estancia is in trouble.
