Negros mayor on police raid: Just harassment from governor

MANILA, Philippines - Pulupandan, Negros Occidental Mayor Magdaleno Peña yesterday decried the police raid on his house Thursday, which he attributed to the camp of Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. after his earlier exposé on the allegedly anomalous procurement of P80 million worth of livestock.

Peña is challenging Marañon for the gubernatorial post in the May 13 polls.

Vice Gov. Genaro Alvarez Jr. supported Peña, saying the raid was “uncalled for” and obviously a form of political harassment.

“The raid has no basis… he (Peña) appeared to be a target of harassment just because he fought the governor,” Alvarez told reporters in Manila yesterday.

On Thursday, authorities swooped down on Peña’s ancestral house in Barangay Ubay, Pulupandan town, where they discovered various high-powered firearms, which included shotguns, M-16 rifles, and sniper rifles, and holsters, and bandoliers.

Peña denied the charges. He said the ancestral house no longer belongs to him but to his sons, Miguel and Harry, and his brother, Andy.

On reports that police found explosives in the estate, Alvarez believed those were “planted” because all the firearms of Peña are licensed.

Alvarez said, “Who in his right mind would hide dangerous explosives in his house?”

While charges may be filed against the police raiders, especially if they are found to have violated certain procedures, Peña’s camp said they would not judge the authorities because they were just “doing their job” although they were supposedly used as “pawns” in Marañon’s alleged schemes.

Superintendent William Senoren, who stood as complainant and witness on Peña’s firearms, was reportedly the police chief of Sagay City when Marañon was mayor of the locality. 

Last month, Peña accused Marañon and provincial veterinarian Renante Decena of buying allegedly overpriced sheep from Australia worth P80 million for the provincial government’s livestock program.

Peña got in contact with several livestock suppliers in Australia and found out that the contract price for the 5,760 sheep approved by the governor and Decena was allegedly “overpriced” by P40 million.

Peña also alleged that the money used in buying sheep from Australia was part of the P100-million loan secured by the provincial government from the Land Bank of the Philippines. 

Peña had threatened to file graft and plunder charges against Marañon and Decena in connection with the sheep deal.

But before the mayor could lodge a formal complaint, the provincial board sent a letter-complaint to Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Commission on Audit to dig deeper into the allegedly fraudulent purchase.