Biazon’s son hurt in campaign rally

A son of Senator Rodolfo Biazon, who is running for the lone congressional seat in Muntinlupa, was hurt when a group of men alleged to be supporters of re-electionist Mayor Jaime Fresnedi hurled stones at their rally in Barangay Sucat Sunday night.

Rufino Biazon, 35, running under the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Puwersa ng Masa, suffered a big lump on his head when he was hit by a stone hurled by three unidentified men.

But in an interview with The STAR, Fresnedi vehemently denied allegations that his followers were behind the stone-throwing incident.

"I will never condone such acts, I had been strongly advocating for a clean, peaceful and orderly elections from the start and will never order anybody to engage in such activities, "Fresnedi said.

"Despite being the incumbent mayor, I still regard myself as the underdog in the race in the face of the considerable financial resources of my opponents. I am only banking on my numerous accomplishments in my three years as mayor to get another mandate from the people of Muntinlupa," Fresnedi said.

Elizabeth Aguilar Masangkay, Fresnedi’s opponent in the Muntinlupa mayoralty race, denounced the stone-throwing incident and said it was another case of the harassment the opposition was allegedly being subjected to by Fresnedi’s camp.

"We in the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) denounce these dirty tactics and election violence. Our opponents are resorting to these condemnable acts in their growing desperation because the opposition is in its sure way to victory on May 14," Masangkay said.

According to Masangkay, the stone-throwing incident occurred at around 11 p.m. while the local LDP candidates were staging a bingo social-cum-political campaign sortie at a basketball court in barangay Sucat.

Masangkay said that Senator Rodolfo Biazon himself was then speaking before the crowd when stones started raining onto the makeshift stage from an unseen corner outside the court.

Aside from the younger Biazon, Lito Arevalo, a LDP candidate for city councilor, was hit by a stone on the leg. Rufino Biazon is facing veteran Muntinlupa politician, incumbent Rep. Ignacio "Toting" Bunye, a former city mayor.

Tez Valencia, Fresnedi’s public information office chief, said that from the information she had gathered, the stone-throwing incident arose from a street gang war in the area wherein some of the rocks hurled by warring youths strayed to the LDP rally.

This was dismissed by Masangkay who insisted that the stones were aimed at the stage.

"According to my information, Mr. Biazon and Mr. Arevalo fell victim to ‘stray stones’. Though we had nothing to do with the incident, we are sorry for the two gentlemen and hope they are well," Valencia said.

Fresnedi and Bunye are both official candidates of the Lakas-NUCD-People’s Power Coalition.

Fresnedi and Masangkay is facing each other for the second time, the latter having lost in their first encounter for the mayoralty in 1998.

The Muntinlupa police was unable to produce an investigation report on the incident.