Rep denies having private army

SAN FERNANDO, La Union – A congressman of this province denied a television report last week that he was maintaining a private army.

“The La Union police can attest to that, that I have no such group. I don’t know who reported that to the commission and where the figure came from,” second district Rep. Eufranio Eriguel told newsmen.

He was reacting to a report on ABS-CBN’s TV Patrol quoting the Zeñarosa Commission as listing him as one of several politicians in northern Luzon allegedly with private armies.

The former Arroyo administration formed the commission to investigate private armies in the run-up to the May 10 national and local elections.

Senior Supt. Noli Taliño, La Union police director, told the media they don’t have any record of private armies in La Union, particularly involving Eriguel.

He said Camp Crame just provided them with a list of private armies that included Eriguel’s name.

Sources alleged Eriguel’s name was included in the list when retired Chief Supt. Constante Azares Jr., former Ilocos regional police director, reported to Camp Crame a shooting incident in Agoo, La Union during the elections where a group of armed men was supposedly spotted.

Eriguel hails from Agoo town whose mayor is his wife Sandra.

Eriguel said the incident did not involve any armed group because he, along with some policemen, only responded to help a political supporter who was allegedly being harassed by his rival.

Azares, who personally investigated the incident, reportedly submitted a report to Camp Crame concluding that Eriguel and his rival, former congressman Tomas Dumpit, were maintaining private armies.

Sources said the report was not properly validated before it was submitted to Camp Crame and the Zeñarosa Commission.