Politics behind attack on Padaca’s house?

ILAGAN, Isabela — Gov. Grace Padaca yesterday said that last Sunday’s attack on her residence could be the handiwork of those who wanted to intimidate her in connection with the reforms she has been instituting in the province and her campaign against jueteng here.

"…or they were mere drunkards," said Padaca, referring to the still unidentified perpetrators who shot her house four times just past 12 midnight on Sunday.

Padaca said her security aides saw at least three men about 200 meters from her residence during the brief attack. She said that her aides fired at them, suspecting that they were the perpetrators, but it was not clear if any of them was hit.

The lady governor said she was inside her study room ‘doing some paper work’ when she heard a gunshot, followed by three successive gunshots a few seconds later.

"Right now the police cannot produce any suspect. The bullets have yet to be located. There’s no police report yet about the incident," said Padaca, obviously disgusted over the slow investigation of the case.

Provincial police director Senior Superintendent Percival Barba said the shots could have come from the subdivision "beside the governor’s."

"The governor’s aides firing their issued firearms after hearing shots was a (mere) initial reaction (from people being attacked), said Barba, apparently to cool off Padaca who was then reportedly fuming when one of Barba’s men reportedly commented that the governor’s aides overreacted when they fired shots upon hearing the four gunshots.