Politics eyed in grenade blast at Negros Oriental mayor’s home

CEBU CITY– The grenade blast at the house of the mayor and vice mayor of Bacong town in Negros Oriental on Tuesday night may be related to politics.

Mayor Jocelyn Aviola and her husband, Vice Mayor Lenin Aviola, have appealed to authorities to speed up the investigation to identify and arrest the assailants.

The mayor, however, told a television interview in Cebu that the incident might be related to politics since their opponents had been attacking them.

She then asked her opponent to “play fairly” and to refrain from resorting to violence to scare them, and instead, allow the residents of Bacong to decide in the 2019 polls.

For his part, the vice mayor said some people might be jealous of their political success as they had been in public service for a long time.

He added that the grenade explosion may be aimed at his wife who had been given security detail due to threats.

Two men on board a motorcycle lobbed the grenade that exploded at the residence of the Alviolas in Barangay Poblacion, Bacong, about 8 p.m. on Tuesday.

A sharpnel hit the vehicle was parked at the garage and hurt Diana Jane Justiniano, 30, the common-law wife of the couple’s son.

Senior Insp. Luis Lakandula, Bacong police chief, said in a phone interview that they have yet to identify the perpetrators.

He said the footage taken by the close circuit television (CCTV) camera was not clear because it was not equipped with night vision technology.

Lakandula said the neighbors saw two men sitting on a parked motorcycle and whose faces were covered with bonnets and were wearing jackets. However, they thought the duo were travelers resting in the area.

The two men, however, later lobbed a hand grenade at the Alviola residence. /ee