Town mayor, men probed for mauling municipal council bet

Police are now looking into the mauling incident involving a reelectionist town mayor in Nueva Ecija and a municipal councilor candidate, who was allegedly punched by one of the local chief executive's men.

The police report said  the incident happened last Apr. 27 around 3:11 p.m. during a wedding where both Mayor Jose Francis Stevens Dizon of Guimba, Nueva Ecija and Dr. Felix Diosdado Lumang, who is running for the town council, acted as godfathers of the groom and bride --  Jayson and Edsalyn Gallardo.

The report said one of the mayor's men reportedly overheard Lumang as saying "sasampalin ko ng pera ang mayor na iyan," when the local chief executive's group was about to leave the Gallardo’s residence in Brgy. Cawayang Bugtong, Guimba.

Dizon and several of his men confronted Lumang, who was then drunk.

One of the mayor's men accidentally pushed Lumang who fell on the ground while being pacified when Dizon confronted Lumang that time, the report added.

However, in her version, Lumang's wife, Rebecca, quoted Dizon as saying "namumuro ka na sa akin" during the argument between the mayor and her husband that day.

Dizon reportedly slapped Lumang but evaded it. One of the mayor's men, Allan Pascual, punched and landed a fist on her husband's right ear, causing him to fall on the ground, Rebecca said.

She claimed that another person kicked her husband, who never fought or tried to defend himself at this time.

Police are still waiting for Lumang to make a statement before authorities regarding the incident.