Congressman, mayor give conflicting versions on N Ecija clash

(Update 2) Nueva Ecija town mayor Antonio Esquivel on Friday morning accused Rep. Rodolfo Antonino of sending threatening text messages to him before a clash that left two dead late Thursday night. Radio dzBB reported before dawn Friday morning that Jaen town mayor Esquivel made the revelation at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan, where his sons and security men were rushed. Killed in Thursday night’s incident were policeman SPO1 Bobby Ferrer and re-electionist councilor Roy Galang. Esquivel’s sons Mark Anthony and Lawrence Anthony were among the wounded. But as of Friday morning, he said his sons were in stable condition. Hospital personnel also placed 10 security personnel of Esquivel under observation. The mayor said his convoy had passed by an area where Antonino was holding a party caucus when shots were heard. He claimed armed men in fatigue uniforms shot at his Nissan Patrol, causing a flat tire. The vehicle managed to run two more kilometers before stopping. But in Nueva Ecija, a GMA-7 news crew reported that Antonino denied Esquivel’s claims. Antonino’s version was that they were holding a caucus when they saw a vehicle pass by, and heard a firearm being cocked. This prompted them to ask the police regional mobile group to conduct checkpoint operations in the area. Some minutes later, Esquivel’s convoy of three to five vehicles passed through and refused checkpoint policemen’s repeated calls to stop. He said this prompted the RMG policemen to fire at the convoy, including the Toyota Revo where Ferrer and Galang were riding. Jaen town is among the areas in the province which could be placed under the control of the Commission on Elections. The Jaen encounter came hours after President Gloria Arroyo expressed dismay over the inability of the police to prevent poll-related violence as the May 14 elections draw near.- GMANews.TV