Sison denies hand in Balolong arrest
URBIZTONDO—Second District Board Member Raul Sison has denied any involvement in the “imbroglio” that beleaguered Urbiztondo Mayor Ernesto Balolong Jr. is currently in contrary to the latter’s allegations.
“Stop accusing me and instead look for a good lawyer to defend you,” were Sison’s terse words to Balolong whose house and other properties were recently raided by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) last month and a cache of firearms were confiscated.
Balolong is being tagged as the mastermind by the suspected killer of former Lingayen Vice Mayor Ramon Arcinue and his wife, Zorahayda in March last year.
He, who defeated Sison’s wife in the May elections, alleged that Sison’s son, the incumbent vice mayor, aims to take his post in case he is jailed.
Balolong was arrested and held at the NBI in Manila but was eventually released after several days in custody.
The mayor said Sison has claimed “good connections” with a ranking official of the Department of Justice, the head agency of the NBI, and even President Benigno Aquino III.
Sison has denied all these.
Balolong, whose 21 licensed firearms were seized during the raids and are undergoing ballistic examination in the NBI central office, is facing four counts of tampering serial numbers of his four guns in the municipal court and posted a P60,000 bail bond per case.
The ballistic examination is related to accusations that some of Balolong’s guns were used in various crimes in the province.
The mayor claimed that the four firearms in legal question were licensed through the government’s amnesty program.
Balolong noted that the last raid on his house was already the third time but nothing illegal has ever been proven.
Balolong is also currently facing his second administrative case before the provincial board, which he believes is also a handiwork of Sison.
In his first administrative case involving disbursement of loan proceeds of the town late last year, the mayor was placed under a 60-day preventive suspension by the provincial board but Malacañang overruled the order saying “Charges based on mere suspicion and speculation cannot be given credence. It cannot serve as basis for the imposition of preventive suspension”.
The second administrative case is related to the same matter.–Eva Visperas
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