Pulupandan Mayor Magdaleno Peña agreed yesterday in a dialog with Bishop Vicente Navarra not to include women in a new complaint his supporters are planning to file against his perceived enemies.

When the bishop asked him not to include women in the new complaint, the mayor said he told Navarra that "Your wish is my command." "But I will include women who are public officials or those who lead the poor people to instigate violence," the mayor said.

"The new complaint will also charge the Mondias, the rebel returnees, the New People's Army, and those who participated in the ambush against me," Peña said.

In the presence of the bishop, Peña, his supporter Oscar Somes, town parish priest Msgr. Nick Melicor, parish pastoral council president Boy Alvares, and members of the Diocesan Social Action Center discussed the existing tension in Pulupandan. Fr. Regner Dequeña of the DSAC said the dialog went well and Somes presented his side on the grave threat case he filed against the 181 accused.

On July 6, Somes and four other complainants dropped the charges against 26 of the accused.

But while Somes and company withdrew their case, 21 supporters of Peña may also file separate charges for the same offense against all accused. The new set of complainants, who have yet to file their charges, were among those inside the house of councilor Hedy Gonzales when the accused allegedly threw stones, hard objects and pill boxes at the councilor's residence.

During the dialog, Dequeña said that in principle, Peña agreed to request his supporters not to pursue the case, except against those identified as "hard core".

On May 30, Peña was ambushed in Pulupandan but he survived with minor injuries. Two of his companions were killed.

The mayor said the bishop told him it escaped his mind to publicly condemned the ambush but the Church is against all acts of violence.

"I told the bishop I survived because God is with me," Peña said.

Meanwhile, although the Boy Gatmaitan Command of the NPA claimed responsibility for the ambush, the National Bureau of Investigation has issued a subpoena on 17 persons who might be able to shed light on the case.

In an interview with ABS-CBN, case supervising agent Ramilo Quinto said there are witnesses who can point to the location where the blue vehicle, allegedly used by the perpetrators, came from and in what direction it went later.

Peña said he was furnished by the NBI a report on the development of the case and he has yet to go over it.*NAB

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