ILOILO – An “overkill” was how a daughter of former Sara, Iloilo mayor Neptali Salcedo described Wednesday’s predawn gun raid of her father’s house.
Policemen confiscated high-powered firearms and killed Salcedo’s son Nerio (also known as Ricky) and grandson Nixon Jr.
“We have been robbed of justice and of due process. Everything (wa)s (an) overkill, exaggerated,” posted Jowella Salcedo Juarez on Facebook.
But while the family was “in grief and in sorrow for our loss”, Juarez assured the people of Sara “we will never do any harm to our beloved town, especially its people.”
Juarez was reacting to text messages circulating and posts on Facebook and other social media applications warning Sara residents of possible bombings because the raid had angered the Salcedos.
“Our family strongly and firmly assure you that we do not have the intention to cause any harm to our fellow Saranians. Do not listen and believe easily. Fake news (is) very dangerous,” stressed Juarez.
The text message in question read: “Good day Sara, Iloilo. Ang aton nga mga kapulisan sa Sara nakabaton sang security threat nga bombahon sang Muslim ang banwa kun ano matabo kay former mayor Tali Salcedo. Ini nga mensahe luyag lang namon ipadala sa tagsa-tagsa para makaiwas kag halong sa nahambal nga pamahog.”
Juarez denied the text message’s allegation.
“We ask our fellow Saranians to stay calm. We will never do any harm to our beloved town, especially its people,” stressed Juarez.
The text message further read: “Grabe gid subong ang pasingit sang pamilya Salcedo tungod sang natabo sa ila, gani iwasan naton maglagaw kun gab-i kag magkadto sa mga matawo nga lugar. Kun ikaw isa ka concerned citizen sang banwa sang Sara, palihog send sini nga mensahe sa imo abyan, pamilya kag mga kasimanwa.”
The current mayor of Sara is Neptali’s wife, Ermelita while the vice mayor is son Jesus who is running for mayor in the May 13, 2019 midterm elections.
The police chief of Sara, Senior Inspector Asencion Ortizo, himself dismissed the text messages and Facebook and social media posts.
The police station coordinated with the Muslim community in Sara, he said, and they denied plotting against the people of the municipality.
“Naghambal ang presidente sang Muslim community in Sara nga waay sila sang kapasidad dira sa mga amo na. Nagapangabuhi sila diri sang malinong kag naganegosyo,” Ortizo told Panay News.
The whereabouts of former mayor Neptali Salcedo, however, remain unknown. He was not around when his house was raided.
The raid was part of 13 simultaneous police operations against loose firearms in Iloilo’s 5th District.
Still, according to Senior Superintendent Marlon Tayaba, Iloilo Police Provincial Office director, Salcedo would be charged with illegal gun possession.
Among the firearms seized from the Salcedo house were an M14 rifle and an Ultimax 100 Mark 311 rifle.
“These two firearms are only issued to government forces to include the Philippine National Police and Army. Bakit may ganyang baril siya at sino ang may ari nito? These are high-powered firearms,” said Tayaba.
Also recovered from the Salcedo house were a 12-gauge shotgun, AK47 rifle, three .45 pistols, and assorted bullets.
Mayor Ermelita Salcedo had insisted that the guns have licenses, according to Tayaba.
The police provincial director, however, said no pertinent documents were shown to the police during the raid./PN
