Grenades land on kitchen of Negros town mayor

BACOLOD CITY—Unidentified men on Wednesday fired two M-203 grenades at the house of Mayor Lourdes Escalante of Manapla town, about 44.7 kilometers of this city.

No one was hurt but the grenades destroyed the walls of the dirty kitchen of the house in Barangay (village) Punta Mesa, Manapla, said Escalante’s husband, Manuel.

Manuel, a former town mayor who now serves as executive assistant to his wife, said Lourdes was meeting with Manapla department heads inside the house when they heard an explosion past 10 p.m.

He said based on the trajectory of the grenades, these may have been fired from a farm across the river.

“It could have been an assassination attempt, or harassment,” he said.

Lourdes is seeking reelection under the United Negros Alliance, which is headed by Negros Occidental Gov. Alfredo Maranon Jr.

She said she couldn’t think of anyone who wanted to harm her since she has not received any threats.

Maranon condemned the attack, saying elections should be won through the ballot, not by force.