Parsons eyes filing of counter raps vs accuser

An irate Sonny Parsons, who lost his bid for the top post in Marikina City in the just concluded polls, threatened to file counter-charges yesterday against the campaign manager of re-elected Mayor Maria Lourdes Fernando for allegedly "destroying his name."

"I will file civil, criminal and administrative charges against him," said Parsons referring to Barangay San Roque chairman Benjamin Cruz, whom he blamed for his recent arrest.

Police charged Parsons as an accessory to attempted murder after his SUV was tagged by a witness as the vehicle that carried two men who lobbed a hand grenade at the house of Cruz at 1 Ignacio Cruz street in Barangay San Roque last Saturday.

Cruz’s two children were inside the house when the attack to place at 12:35 a.m.

Nobody was hurt in the blast, but the barangay official’s dark blue Toyota Corolla was badly damaged, police said.

Parsons was put under custodial investigation that same day, but prosecutor Linda Conus ordered him released for further investigation.

City chief prosecutor Loreto Acejo also ordered the SUV, a dark green Nissan Safari Patrol (RAG 555) released to Parson’s custody yesterday.

Acejo said there is no corroborating evidence showing that the said vehicle was used in the grenade attack against Cruz.

"Kaya pinakawalan ang kotse dahil walang kaso," Parsons said.

He said he monitored over dzBB yesterday that communist rebels owned up to the grenade attack on Cruz.

Despite their temporary set-back, Marikina City police chief Senior Superintendent Felipe Rojas Jr., said their investigation would push through and soon identify the two suspects in the grenade throwing incident.

"Wala tayong magagawa diyan dahil iyan ang procedure ng batas natin," said Rojas referring to the release of Parsons and his vehicle.

Rojas said they are now in the process of gathering additional evidence.