SJDM city engineer tags mayor in assassination attempt

Lawyer Elmer Galicia

BULACAN, Philippines–Engr. Rufino Gravador, the city engineer of San Jose del Monte (SJDM) in Bulacan province on Sunday tagged a ranking local executive as the possible brains behind the failed assassination on him at Sta. Maria town last week.

Speaking to reporters at his hospital bed, Gravador said he cannot think of someone else other than the ranking local government official of SJDM who wants to silence him as he was witness to a plunder case filed against that official.

“Wala na kasi akong ibang mapagbibintangan kundi siya. Galit na galit siya sa akin kasi lagi ako nananalo sa aming pagkakaso. Meron akong threat na natanggap (through text messages) sabi umayos ka sa mga ginagawa mo,” Gravador said.

(I have no one else to blame but him. He is furious at me because I always win in our cases. I received threats through text messages saying I should be careful in what I am doing.)

He said he made letters stuffed in different parts of his vehicle which says that if something happens to him “walang ibang gagawa nito kung hindi si Mayor [Reynaldo] San Pedro [of the City of SJDM].”

(..no one will do this to me but Mayor San Pedro.)

Gravador was waylaid by two men riding on a motorcycle as he was heading home in Sta. Maria, Bulacan, last Wednesday afternoon. Police recovered 25 bullet shells at the crime scene.

The ambush was caught by a CCTV camera mounted near the ambush site and it showed the two men wearing helmets open fire on Gravador as he was traveling along the road in barangay Bulac, Sta Maria town.

Though wounded, Gravador managed to drive his vehicle and bring himself to a nearby hospital. He was later transferred to a hospital in Metro Manila where he is now recuperating from gunshot wounds in the neck and head.

Lawyer Elmer Galicia, Gravador’s legal counsel, said his client has long been receiving death threats since he testified against Mayor San Pedro in the plunder case filed early this year for the alleged anomalies in the construction of a government center in SJDM.

“Wala namang ibang gagawa sa akin nito dahil wala naman akong kaaway o kagalit kung hindi yun lamang tao na hindi ko sinamahan sa mga anomalya,” Galicia quoting Gravador as saying.

“I think he is referring to Mayor Reynaldo San Pedro of San Jose del Monte City,” Galicia said.

Galicia said the plunder case against San Pedro was filed by Romeo Agapito, a city councilor, as it was allegedly rigged with anomalies starting from the bidding process to the procurement of materials.

“He (Gravador) is a witness, he is a whistleblower. Kasi sya ang nakaka-alam ng mga circumstances kung paano ginawa yung pag-procure ng government center,” he added.

He said Mayor San Pedro kicked Gravador out from his post as city engineer and assigned him as the city agriculturist from 2013 to 2014.

He said they filed a case against San Pedro for the illegal transfer of assignment and the Civil Service Commission ruled that Gravador be assigned back to his former post as the city engineer.

“May pending (case) na rin siyang (Gravador) complaint for oppression na nasa Ombudsman. Sa ngayon meron din kaming ifinile sa Civil Service (Commission) kung saan na-orderan is mayor na ibalik siya sa posisyon dahil ang transfer is illegal,” he added.

(He also has a pending case, a complaint for oppression which is now filed at the [Office of the] Ombudsman. Now we also filed [a case] at the Civil Service Commission in which the mayor was ordered to put [Gravador] back in his position because his transfer is illegal.)

He said they have also asked the help of the National Bureau of Investigation for the resolution of the case.

He said Gravador was lucky enough to have survived the ambush.

“Ang sinasabi ni engineer hindi rin niya alam paano siya naka-survive. Basta ang alam nya ay yumuko siya nung narinig nya ang mga tuloy tuloy na putok ang sinabi nya ay nagdasal ‘Diyos ko sana makasurvive ako dito’,” Galicia said.

(What the engineer is saying is he still doesn’t know how he survived. What he knows is he surrendered when he heard successive gunfire and he just prayed, ‘Lord, I hope I survive this’.)

He said Gravador has not mentioned to him if he was wearing a bullet proof vest at the time when he was ambushed, which could be the reason why he survived the assassination attempt.

San Pedro denied the allegations even as he offered a P100,000 reward for any information which will lead to the early solution of the failed killing of Gravador.

Galicia said: “Well, I don’t think he is in the position to do that. At isa pa we are not clear saan ba manggagaling yan (reward) kung sa sariling pocket o sa San Jose del Monte. Tignan natin kung ano mangyayari.”

(…where that reward money came from, whether from his own pocket or from [the coffers] of San Jose del Monte. Let’s see what will happen.) Radyo Inquirer 990 AM