Cops downplay San Juan blast

The Commission on Elections would not place the municipality of San Juan under Comelec control during Monday’s elections despite the pillbox explosion Thursday night that left 13 people wounded and destroyed six vehicles.

This developed as the police tried to downplay the incident saying that explosion was caused by a "mishandled" pyrotechnics by the camp of Rep. Jose Mari Gonzales, who was holding a miting de avance at the St. John Academy in barangay Isabelita.

Local Comelec officer Amor Olimpo said the poll body was not inclined to place San Juan under its control despite the explosion, the first such incident in Metro Manila during the election period.

Olimpo noted that the camp of mayoral bet Adolfo Sto. Domingo, of the Liberal Party, asked the Comelec last March 26 to put the town under its control, to replace the police chief and the deployment of police forces in the coming political exercise.

Except for putting the town under Comelec control, the rest of Sto. Domingo’s request were granted by the Comelec main office in Intramuros, Manila said Olimpo.

Meanwhile, Gonzales condemned the bombing and urged Comelec to put the town under its direct control. He urged local police authorities to conduct a thorough investigation of the incident.

Gonzales admitted that politics might have been the motive behind the bombing which also damaged several cars belonging to singer Freddie Aguilar, vice-mayoralty bet Baby San Pascual and even one belonging to the congressman himself.

Gonzales will be pitted against former Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora while Sto. Domingo is up against Joseph Victor Ejercito, a son of jailed former President Joseph Estrada, Both Zamora and Ejercito are running under the Puwersa ng Masa.