Cops debunk bombing yarns in Salcedo enclave

SENIOR Supt. Marlon Tayaba (left), Iloilo provincial police director, and Chief Supt. John Bulalacao, PNP-Western Visayas director, check one of the rifles seized from the Salcedo family in northern Iloilo.

THE Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) debunked reports that members of the Muslim community plan to bomb the town of Sara following a simultaneous raids against members of the Salcedo family.

Senior Superintendent Marlon Tayaba, Iloilo police director, said they have not received intelligence reports pointing to any security threat in Sara, particularly from the Muslim community.

Tayaba said that they were able to talk to Muslim leaders before the simultaneous raids in Sara, Lemery, Banate, and Estancia on Oct 17.

Sara alone is home to more or less 300 Muslims.

The Salcedo patriarch, former Mayor Neptali “Tali” Salcedo Sr., is a Balik Islam (Muslim revert). He was one of the 15 subjects of the simultaneous gun raids but he was not at his house in Barangay Poblacion Ilawod, Sara when police arrived.

“I don’t think our peace-loving Muslim brothers would do it,” Tayaba said.

The bombing yarn spread via a text message that circulated a day after the raids.

“Good Day Sara, Iloilo, Ang aton nga mga kapulisan sa Sara sobong nga adlaw nakabaton sng Security Threat nga Bombahon sng Muslim ang Banwa kong anu matabo ky Former Mayor Tali Salcedo. Ini nga mensahe luyag lang namon ipadala sa tagsa tagsa para maka iwas kag halong sa nahambal nga pamahog. Grabe gid sobong ang pasingit sng Pamilya Salcedo tungod sang natabo sa ila, gani iwasan naton mglagaw kong gab e kag magkadto sa mga matawo nga lugar.”

“Kung ikaw isa ka concerned citizen sng banwa sang Sara, palihog ako send sini nga mensahe sa imo abyan, pamilya kag mga kasimanwa.”

Senior Inspector Asencion Ortizo, Sara police chief, said he received the information from an ally of the Salcedos.

“But as to the original source of the text message, we don’t know yet,” Ortizo added.

Nevertheless, the Sara police said they would stand guard against potential threats right after the raids.

“We expect this kind of moves or threats, especially that the raids targeted some personalities in the fifth district,” Ortizo said.

Tayaba assured they regularly communicate with Muslim communities in Iloilo province.

Meanwhile, the Salcedo family, through Vice Mayor Jay-R Salcedo, quickly responded to the text message.

“We would like to inform and update all Saranians about the ‘Text Brigade’ that is spreading right now in Facebook and other social media or messages. Our family strongly and firmly assures you that we do not have the intentions to cause any harm to our fellow Saranians.

Do not listen and believe easily, fake news is very dangerous,” Vice Mayor Salcedo said.

“Yes we are in grief and in sorrow for our loss. We have been robbed of justice and of due process. Everything is ‘overkill,’ exaggerated, unfair yet we mourn in silence and leave it all to God.”

“Now, we ask our fellow Saranians to stay calm for we will never do any harm to our beloved town especially its people… These are not our making, we affirm you that.”

The 15 simultaneous gun raids killed two members of the influential Salcedo clan.

Ricky, a dismissed police officer, and his 25-year-old nephew Nixon “TJ” Salcedo Jr., both of Barangay Poblacion Ilawod, Sara, were gunned down after allegedly putting up a fight with members of the raiding team.

SOURCE: The Daily Guardian

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