Police investigation underway: Grenade explodes at Bacong town mayor’s house, 1 hurt

CEBU, Philippines — A fragmentation grenade, lobbed by still unidentified riding-in-tandem men, landed and exploded at the garage of the house of Mayor Jocelyn Alviola and husband, Vice Mayor Lenin Alviola, of Bacong town in Negros Oriental Tuesday evening.

A full-blown investigation is now being conducted to determine the perpetrators in the grenade-throwing incident that took place at around 8:45 p.m., at the mayor’s house at Barangay Lutao in Bacong, resulting in the injury of a pregnant woman, and causing damage to the mayor’s car.

Senior Inspector Luis Lacandula, acting chief of the Bacong Police, said the mayor and her husband were already in their room upstairs, but Diana Jane Justiniani, 30, live-in partner of their son Lionell Jester Alviola, sustained minor injuries after shrapnels hit her neck, arm, and leg.

Justiniani, who was nine-month pregnant, was conversing with somebody in her cellphone and seating at the porch, adjacent to the garage, when the grenade exploded, resulting in her injuries on her right neck, arm, leg, and foot. Also hit by two shrapnels was the sala set at the porch area.  The explosion also damaged the right side of the parked Montero SUV (plate No. AED 2848) with dents and at least four holes from shrapnels, and busted rear tires.

The mayor said she was about to play crossword puzzle with her cellphone when she heard a loud explosion, which she initially thought was at the back part of their rooftop. She had no idea yet on who might have the reason to do it to her family, after having been in politics for decades now without any threats whatsoever since.

Before the incident, Mayor Jocelyn had visitors from the town’s barangays, including councilmen and a barangay chairman. One of the councilpersons, who asked not to be identified, said that, before their meeting, she saw a man in the area, who she could only identify as not a resident of Bacong.

Minutes after the meeting, an eyewitness who just came from a basketball game noticed a motorcycle of which its driver and backrider were covering their faces with t-shirts. It slowed down in front of the mayor’s house and the backrider lobbed the grenade into the residence compound, before speeding off toward Dumaguete.

Members of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) and Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) teams immediately responded to the scene. As of press time, investigation into the incident was still ongoing.  Lacandula said the Bacong Police force is digging deeper into the incident, while the National Bureau of Investigation is also conducting its own investigation. He said the police are looking at two angles as motives behind the attack, one of which is personal grudge, but he said they are not discounting the possibility that it could be politically motivated.

The mayor also agreed on this possibility, saying there are many in Bacong who are aspiring for her post in the 2019 elections, with this coming October the time for the filing of certificates of candidacy.

Lacandula however noted that this was the first time the Alviolas were attacked, and that the couple have not previously received any threats on their lives in their years of serving for a long time as the town's executives.

Lacandula further said the police are now reviewing footage from a closed circuit television (CCTV) camera near the Alviolas’ residence to try to determine the physical description of the suspects. However, this may prove difficult for the police as the said CCTV camera does not have a night vision feature.

Because of the incident, security has been tightened for the mayor and the vice mayor. Lacandula said he has requested policemen from the Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office to ensure the safety of the Alviolas.

The incident marks the second time since April that high-ranking local officials in Negros Oriental were targeted by riding-in-tandem assailants. Last April 2, “riding-in-tandem” men shot and killed incumbent Guihulngan City Councilor Paulo Edison Dela Rita, while he was on his way home.