by Artha Kira Paredes
VERA Files
BANGUED, Abra.—In the afternoon of March 23 this year, 50 heavily armed guards of mayoral candidate Cromwell Luna appeared at the kindergarten graduation of Tineg Central School in Barangay Agsimao in Tineg town. Eyewitnesses said children wailed, old men and women cried, while the rest scampered for cover as the men indiscriminately fired their M-14, M-16 and M-203 rifles at the crowd.
This story is told in a handwritten document entitled, “Affidavit,” and signed by barangay officials of Agsimao and around 80 individuals, including Polish priest Pawel Jacek Stadnik and Sister Purisa Tayaban of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Among the signatories was Luna’s opponent, mayoral candidate Lenin Benwaren.
But Benwaren had charges of his own to face. Luna reported to the police that he was ambushed by Benwaren’s armed guards earlier that day, prompting Luna and 11 of his companions to file attempted murder charges against Benwaren and his men at the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor
Bangued Mayor Dominic Valera is under hospital arrest after he allegedly shot and killed a supporter of his political rival earlier today, the first recorded casualty of an election-related violent incident in the province.
Abra provincial police chief Senior Superintendent Ernesto Gaab said two witnesses pointed to Valera as the one who killed Mario Acena, 33, a follower of Ryan Luna who is Valera’s opponent for the post of mayor of Bangued.
Valera was brought to St Luke’s Medical Hospital in Global City, Taguig Thursday.
Click here (VERA Files) for the rest of the story.
Cromwell Luna
The hooligan is living up to his namesake: Cromwell. Now, if only there was a ruler in the country called Henry (VIII) who would have this asshole beheaded…
it is sad to read about abra.what happened to the genes of the heroes of the revolution.
Napaka third world place naman ton abra..another maguindanao.. ewan ko ba kung bakit mas gusto pa nilang magpatayan kesa manaig ang kabutihan.. mga mukhang pera kasi yang mga iyan.. walang dinidiyos kungdi pera.. kaya kelangang pumatay, para lang maka pwesto sa pulitika… napakababaw… napaka hayop na ideya…
Walang pinag-iba yan sa Ilocos Sur noong ina-agaw ni Chavit ng trono sa mga Crisologo …. tignan niyo ngayon kung sino itong taong ito … alalay na ni Pakyaw …. na may sariling eroplano at siyempre may piloto … na mas mataas pa ang suweldo kaysa sinusuweldo niya sa Gobyerno …. oh ha!!!!! lol
jansen, hindi lang pera ang concerned diyan. Political power is the end-all be-all of provincial politics.
The warriors/hitmen of Abra are the fiercest there can be. Mindanao has its warlords but they don’t have suicide hitmen like those in Abra.
Vera Files speaks of Tineg ex-mayor Clarence Benwaren who was killed while attending a wedding in Batangas by an assassin who was killed just moments later. Same pattern in the assassination of Bangued Mayor Luis “Chito” Bersamin who was killed while also attending a wedding in Quezon City some 4-5 years ago.
Bersamin was on the side of the Lunas who are considered the Ampatuans of Abra.