IN PULUPANDAN
Mayoralty candidates willing
to sign peace covenant: Franco

Negros Occidental police director Rosendo Franco yesterday belied claims that Pulupandan policemen are helpless in putting a stop to the harassments of town residents allegedly by supporters of a mayoralty candidate.

Some Pulupandan town officials and residents who are facing ejection from a private property, claimed that town policemen appeared to be afraid of a Pulupandan mayoralty candidate whose followers harassed them.

"No, we're just following the law," Franco said. He added that the signing of peace covenants among candidates running for various positions in Pulupandan has been reset for the second time to April 17, by the town Comelec office for unknown reasons.

Franco, however, said mayoralty candidates Magdaleno Peña and the Mondia family have already signified their intention to sign the peace covenant.

On Wednesday, tension rose again when a pathway built by residents in Sitio Pukatod, Brgy. Pag-ayon, Pulupandan, was destroyed by supporters of Peña, Mayor Luis Mondia said.

Judge Manuel Limsiaco recently ordered the ejection of 93 Pulupandan residents, including Vice-Mayor Julia Semenio and three councilors, from property of Pena and his family, and to pay about P3.6 million in back rent.

Peña said more court orders are expected as he is seeking the ejection of 3,000 town residents he claims are squatting on his and his family's properties in the town.

Franco said he may add three more policemen to Pulupandan, on top of a team of 612nd Provincial Mobile Group troopers who temporarily reinforced the town police forces.

Eighty-four new policemen assigned to the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office up for use during the Pana-ad Festival, are expected to be distributed to various police stations in the province next month.*GPB

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4 Talisay houses burned

Four houses were razed by fire late last night in Bangga 12, Talisay City, Negros Occidental, the city fire department said.

The blaze that started about 6:50 p.m. was declared under control 27 minutes after with no reported fatalities or injuries, Talisay City fireman Roldan Piosca said. Fire trucks from the cities of Silay and Bacolod responded to the alarm, he said, adding that they are still looking into the cause of the incident.

A fire also burned down the 50-year-old St. John the Batist Parish Chruch in MH del Pilar St. in Brgy. 1, Ilog town early Monday.* PP

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Be vigilant vs. heist, PNP urges

Bacolod City Police Director Senior Supt. Ronilo Quebrar yesterday urged the public and members of the media to be vigilant against hold-up suspects in the city.

Quebrar made the statement amid claims by some radio stations that the BCPO is not doing its job to stop the robberies. Three salesmen of a marketing firm were held up at gunpoint Wednesday night at Burgos Street, Circumferential Road, by two unidentified persons on a motorcycle who fled with about P30,000 in cash.

Passengers of a public utility jeepney plying the Bata-Libertad route were also held up during the Holy Week by an ex-convict who was arrested and two others, while a gasoline station in Brgy. Bata was also robbed Monday by two unidentified persons.

Adding to the recent hold up cases in the city were three employees of a marketing firm who were victims of heist by two unidentified persons at Burgos St. Circumferential Road, Wednesday night.

PO1 Michael Ferrer of Police Station 4 said that Joseph Lacorte, Rodney Jimena, and Howard Macegemo, all of RNG Marketing, were held up at gunpoint by two persons riding a motorcycle in near a fastfood.

The suspects fled with about P30,000 cash.

In a telephone interview with the DAILY STAR, Quebrar admitted that hold-up cases in Bacolod City have increased but he added, that the media should not only be contented with criticizing the PNP but should also help in disseminating information against the suspects.

He also said the public should report to the police if they see suspicious persons roaming around in their neighborhood.

"We are not supermen who will know who are the suspects and solve the cases right away," Quebrar said.

He said they are doing their best to solve the robberies through checkpoints and they have already impounded about 50 units of motorcycles which are unregistered or with no plate numbers in the different police stations in the city.

Quebrar also said that they are investigating all the hold-up cases and that they already have identified the suspects.* PP

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