PULUPANDAN -- The police Saturday brought in for questioning 26 supporters of Pulupandan mayoralty candidate Magdaleno Peña who were found in a house from which gunfire was heard in Barangay Zone 6 here, while raps for illegal possession of a firearm will be filed against a policeman.

This was disclosed yesterday by Senior Supt. Rosendo Franco, Negros Occidental police director, who said he ordered SPO1 Wennie Espinosa to be jailed and for charges of illegal possession of a firearm to be filed against him.

Espinosa was found with a firearm not issued to him in the house of Dr. Hedy Gonzales, a Pulupandan councilor, and with supporters of Peña in violation of his warning to policemen to stay away from politics, Franco said.

Espinosa's brother, Wesley, is running for councilor under the ticket of Peña.

Aside from the gun recovered from Espinosa, a .38 caliber revolver and knives were also found in the Gonzales house when the police entered Saturday to pick up the 26, the media were told .

However, the names of the people who would be charged for alleged possession of the other weapons were not available from the police as of press time.

Inspector Arnel Pico, Pulupandan police chief, on Saturday avoided being interviewed by the media, saying only that the situation was very sensitive.

Lawyer Maphy Polvora, who is representing Gonzales, said charges for illegal possession of firearms and grave coercion will be filed.

Mayor Luis Mondia said that on Saturday morning the men of Peña broke a padlock and entered the house of Gonzales.

A takeover cannot be implemented during holidays, it should be done during office hours, he said.

Gonzales complained to the police but they did not act on the matter, telling her they could not intervene in the takeover of her house since in was covered by a civil case, the mayor said.

ANGRY MOB

Angry residents gathered outside the Gonzales house that was occupied by Peña 's men, and in the afternoon stones were thrown and gunfire was heard.

The police then went to the area and picked up the men inside the house for questioning, amid boos from the crowd gathered outside.

Gonzales said she was not in her house when Peña's men entered as she had gone to attend the homecoming of the Negros Occidental High School in Bacolod City.

She said that, although she had cleared many of her things from her house in fear that Peña would take it over, under the law she still was supposed to have 30 days before he could act.

Lina Ternaza of Zone 6 said she saw a certain Boy Betia who is associated with Peña, firing a gun from the house. No one from outside fired a gun, she said, referring to the angry crowd.

Rowena Alba, barangay secretary, also said she saw Betia firing a gun.

Peña said his men's entry into the house was legal as the sheriff had already served the order for Gonzales' eviction on Friday and turned it over to him.

SUITS THREATENED

Peña wrote to Pico demanding that he release the 26 from police custody. "Your continued illegal detention of these innocent people shall merit the appropriate criminal, civil and administrative sanctions," he said.

Franco, however, said that, as of yesterday, holding of the 26 could not be considered illegal as the reglementary period had not lapsed yet.

He will also include charges against Mayor Mondia, Evelinda Mondia, Samson Mondia and his brother, Bonifacio Peña, if he finds that they are pressuring the police to continue to detain the 26, Peña said.

He claimed that the men in the Gonzales house were fired upon by people outside.

Peña also said it was preposterous to charge the 26 for illegal possession of a gun found in the kitchen of the Gonzales house that, he claimed, was left by the former owner.

Peña said he had planned to make the house of Gonzales his campaign headquarters in Barangay Zone 6.

Oscar Seminio Somes, who was among those brought in for questioning by the police, claimed that the firing did not come from them but from the crowd that had gathered outside.

MORE EVICTIONS?

Meanwhile, Peña said he has also regained possession of property occupied by Councilors Lowell del Carmen and Alberto Jacildo, and alleged that Mayor Mondia had stopped the takeover of the property occupied by Vice Mayor Julia Seminio Friday despite the writ of possession issued by the court.

I will file charges for contempt of court against the mayor, Peña said.

But Mondia denied the allegations of Peña. Mondia said he only questioned whether the security guards being used by Peña had a mayor's permit to operate in Pulupandan. They did not have a mayor's permit, so I requested the security guards to vacate the area, I did not obstruct the takeover, Mondia said.

Peña said the writs of execution for the eviction of 160 more Pulupandan residents are enforceable starting today.

"I will see which side of the bed I wake on, if it's bad I'll demolish, if it's good, I won't," he said, but added that he was just joking.*CPG

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