Pulupandan mayor-elect Magdaleno Peña has linked his political opponent to an ambush Wednesday that led to his injuries and to the death of two of his companions, but the police yesterday were exploring numerous angles.

"Peña has a lot of enemies, we are looking into numerous possibilities", Senior Supt. Rosendo Franco, Negros Occidental police director, said.

Among the possible suspects in the ambush are people involved in politics, those in the drug trade who see Peña as a threat in Pulupandan, those affected by a land problem in the town, and the New People's Army, he said.

We are not ruling out the possibility that the Pulupandan port is being used for the entry of drugs, Franco said.

Peña told us he knows who staged the ambush but we are waiting for his formal statement. Meanwhile cartographic sketches are being made of those who staged the attack, Franco said.

Peña said he will divulge the names of the suspects anytime, Franco said. "I recognized all of them…they did not conceal their faces," Peña said.

He linked his attackers to his opponent for mayor, Samson Mondia.

'FIND THE REAL CULPRITS'

Outgoing Pulupandan Mayor Luis Mondia called on the police to conduct a thorough investigation of the ambush to determine who the real culprits are so innocent people do not get blamed.

The mayor denied that he and his family had anything to do with the ambush, saying the elections are over, Peña has won and they have accepted that. We have no reason to kill him, if he is killed the next in line for mayor is Pena's brother-in-law, Tony Suatengco, Mondia said.

The real culprits of the ambush must be caught because the people of Pulupandan are living in fear of possible retaliations that could lead to violence in the town, he said.

AMBUSH CONDEMNED

Gov. Joseph Marañon said he condemns the ambush and the killing of Peña's two companions. The elections are over, this is not good for the image of Negros that is a peaceful province, he said.

The governor said he hopes the police are able to identify the culprits soon.

National Bureau Investigation Bacolod chief Mamerto Cortez said Peña informed him that he will hand over the testimony of the witnesses to the NBI to evaluate.

WITNESSES AFRAID

NBI agents were at the ambush site last night and yesterday to investigate but could not find any witnesses in the town who would speak out, Cortez said.

At this time possible witnesses at the site appear to be afraid to speak out, we brought a cartographer to make sketches of suspects but found no one who would describe them, he said.

Cortez said he told the local police to inform the NBI if anyone comes forward to describe the ambushers so he can send their cartographer back to Pulupandan.

Dr. Nicasion Butin of the NBI was conducting an autopsy on the two ambush victims yesterday, he said.

SECURITY BEEFED UP

Meanwhile, Franco said he will beef up, if needed, the police security on Peña, who already has three policemen assigned to him, and the forces in Pulupandan town to prevent further outbreak of violence in the town. As to fears that Pena's statement at the hospital after the ambush that "It's showtime" meant that violence would break out in Pulupandan, Franco said "we know the mayor-elect has a flair for showbusiness, maybe it was just a joke".

Franco denied that the Pulupandan police were slow to respond to the ambush that occurred not too far away from the police station.

The security men of the Peña at the ambush told me the local police, onboard tricycles, chased the attackers, he said.

The lone Pulupandan police vehicle was at the Negros Occidental Provincial Office in Bacolod City when the ambush occurred, Franco said.

VICTIMS

Peña survived the ambush with slight injuries while his driver and bodyguard were killed at Calle Montilla, Barangay Zone 4, Pulupandan, at about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. His nephew and three others in his three-car convoy were also wounded, while some of their attackers who escaped, were also believed injured, the police said.

Killed was his driver Jose "Moril" Merced and bodyguard Ronnie "Boy" Gegavine, while injured were his nephew, newly-elected second councilor of Pulupandan Gerany Suatengco who was hit by a bullet in the left knee, bodyguard Diego Anciano who was hit in the back, and the driver of the third vehicle, Bongbong Maravalles, who had a slight injury on the left arm. Peña sustained injuries in the arm, head and other parts of the body from shards of glass from the shattered windshield and metal. believed to have come from the copper jackets of bullets, he said.

Peña said he was not directly hit by bullets.

ATTACKERS INJURED

Franco said six men armed with M-16 armalite rifles, 9mm and .45 caliber revolvers fired at the Peña convoy and escaped in a light blue Revo.

The police assigned as security to Pena said some of the attackers were injured when they returned fire, Franco said.

An alert was raised Wednesday for all hospitals to report the presence of injured people brought in, Franco said. Seen at the hospital emergency room Wednesday night was Pena's brother Bonifacio.

Bonifacio and his other brother, Boy, and mother, Lina, have been at odds with Peña over his control of the family property.*CPG

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