BY ARTHA KIRA PAREDES
TWO farm helpers were arrested in Bangued, Abra on Tuesday by a group of 10 men led by a mayor and a police officer on suspicion that they were “imported goons” of Bangued Mayor Dominic Valera.
Valera immediately denied the allegations even as Lagayan Mayor Jendricks Luna and PO3 Benedict Bobias, who led the team that apprehended Freddie Bayle and Renel Balderas, refused to execute an affidavit of arrest to the police.
This led the Abra Provincial Police to ask the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detention Group to investigate the arrest without warrant made by Luna and Bobias’ group.
Valera is running for reelection. His daughter, Ma. Jocelyn “Joy” Valera-Bernos, is running for Congress, son Domino for Bangued councilor and daughter-in-law Janssen as Pidigan vice mayor.
Bayle and Balderas are farm helpers of former Maoay Barangay Captain Jovito Tadeo, a political supporter of the Bangued mayor.
Although Luna is not running for reelection, his mother Cecilia is running for reelection as congresswoman, brother Ryan for Bangued mayor and another brother, Cromwell, for Tineg mayor. His sister Haya is also running for vice mayor of Lagayan.
Chief Inspector Edward Aquintey, Bangued police chief, said police received “a series of calls that a group of armed men were harassing the residents of Barangay Maoay” at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
On their way to Maoay, he said the responding team headed by Senior Inspector Jonny Golingab met Luna, who turned over Bayle and Balderas and a .45-caliber pistol loaded with six pieces of live ammunition.
Luna told the police that they “confiscated the firearm” from Bayle and were turning it over to for “proper disposition,” Aquintey said.
The firearm is licensed and owned by Tadeo, he said.
Aquintey said the victims refused to file an affidavit of complaint, while Luna’s group refused to give their affidavit of arrest.
‘Imported goons’
Luna admitted apprehending Bayle and Balderas whom he said were two of Valera’s six “imported goons” under the care of Tadeo.
He said they were contacted by concerned citizens who had reported sightings of armed men terrorizing nearby residents.
“We went to the house of the incumbent barangay captain first, but he was not there so we went to the house of the pasado kapitan (former captain),” he said in Ilocano.
He said the “goons imported from Zamboanga” tried to run away but they caught up with the two and started asking questions.
“They didn’t look like farmers and they could speak Ilocano but they had a different accent,” Luna said. He said the two also showed different IDs identifying them as police officers and security guards.
When they searched their bags, Luna said they found Army uniforms and the gun.
Just farmers
Valera said, however, Luna planned to harass Tadeo because the former barangay captain is his political ally in Maoay. “Tadeo has fled Bangued because he now fears for his life,” he said.
The Bangued mayor denied that Bayle and Balderas were his goons. The two farm workers were contracted by Tadeo to plant water melon and red pepper, he said.
He added that both did not even get their pay and have gone home to Barangay San Antonio, also in Bangued.
Senior Superintendent Ernesto Gaab, Abra provincial police director, told VERA Files that since both camps refused to give their affidavits, his office has recommended that CIDG conduct an investigation.
He said Bobias, an assigned security of Luna, has been recommended for relief while Bayle and Balderas have been released.
Related incident
On March 12, Robert Villastique, a political supporter of Valera, was shot and wounded while on board his motorcycle.
Gaab said, however, Villastique’s case is not election-related violence because police investigation showed the motive of the shooting incident was “revenge.” He said Villastique has been accused of raping a 14-year-old and has been suspected of murder.
But Valera said the shooting incident was “politically motivated” and that police are claiming otherwise because they are “one-sided.”
“If it is not politically motivated, how come Luna’s men are the suspects?” he said.