Valera charged; 8 guns found in possession: Verzosa orders recall of Abra politicians' escorts

BANGUIED, Abra -- The police and military escorts of Bangued Mayor Dominic Valera and three other politicians in Abra were recalled Wednesday to prevent retaliatory killings in the province.

Cordillera police director Chief Supt. Villamor Bumanlag ordered an investigation on reports the police and military security escorts failed to act against “private armies” maintained by Valera and the brothers Jendrix, Ryan and Cromwell Luna.

“The convoy comprising the private armies of politicians eluded arrest at checkpoints because of the presence of the security escorts who are helpless against them,” said Bumanlag quoting intelligence reports.

Under the guidelines of the Commission on Elections, only two police or military personnel and two security guards were assigned as security escorts of politicians.

Philippine National Police chief Director General Jesus Verzosa ordered the relief and re-posting of police and military security escorts of politicians in Abra after witnesses pointed to Valera and his escort PO2 Joseph Barreras in the killing of Mario Acena, a driver of Ryan Luna in Barangay Cosili West, Bangued on Thursday April 29.

Valera, along with the Luna brothers, Ryan and Jendrix are maintaining two police escorts while Cromwell has two Army escorts.

Ryan is seeking the mayoral post of Bangued against Valera, Jendrix is the incumbent mayor of Lagayan town, while Cromwell is running for mayor in Tineg town.

The Luna brothers are the sons of Abra Rep. Cecille Luna.

Bumanlag recommended to Verzosa that Valera and the Luna brothers not be granted security escorts anymore to prevent retaliatory killings in Abra.

The Cordillera police director’s recommendation came following the deployment of at least 700 police and military personnel to go hard after four politicians maintaining private armies in Abra.

“I recommended that these politicians would not be granted security escorts anymore so they will not be used as “absorbers” in police and Army checkpoints,” said Bumanlag in an interview.

This as Mayor Dominic Valera was found to be a licensed holder of eight high-powered and short firearms while his son has three, police said Thursday.

The Firearms and Explosives Division of the Philippine National Police issued a certification on Valera’s firearms Thursday to help Cordillera police establish the ownership of five firearms and a grenade recovered after last week’s killing of Mario Acena, a driver of Ryan Luna, Valera’s chief rival in the mayoral race.

The Cordillera police filed murder charges against Valera and his police escort, PO2 Joseph Barreras, for Acena’s killing.

Bumanlag said they wanted to establish the owners of the confiscated firearms to determine whether they could be charged as accessories in the killing.

In Camp Dangwa, Benguet, Bumanlag said they recovered a baby Armalite rifle, two caliber .45 pistols, a shotgun, a caliber 9-mm pistol and a grenade in Barangay Cosili West where Acena was shot dead last April 29.

Chief Supt. Gil Meneses, FED chief, said Valera is a licensed holder of four Bushmaster rifles, a caliber .45 Colt pistol, a caliber 9-mm Jericho pistol, a caliber 9-mm Llama pistol, and a caliber .45 Smith and Wesson pistol.

Meneses said Valera’s son Joseph Domino is a licensed holder of a caliber 9-mm Ruger pistol, a 9-mm STI pistol, and a Galil assault rifle.

Bumanlag said he is waiting for the FED certification signed by Chief Insp. Rodrigo Benedicto Sarmieno Jr., chief of the FED’s records section, for cross-matching with the serial numbers of the confiscated firearms.

He said police investigators and lawyers of the Cordillera police would file charges against the owners of the confiscated firearms once proven these were used in killing Acena.

Police have in their custody two witnesses who pointed to Valera and Barreras as the ones who allegedly shot Acena.

The Bangued mayor denied the allegation. He is still confined in the hospital under a 24-hour police watch while Barreras is in the custody of his superiors.

Meanwhile, Valera remains a candidate despite the murder charges filed against him.

“Valera has not yet been found guilty of any crime, which is why he may still continue his candidacy in the local elections,” said Abra provincial election supervisor Vanessa Roncal.