| Bacolod City, Philippines | Tuesday, February 23, 2010 |
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widow appeals to killer
As Mondia’s body arrives under heavy guard
BY CARLA GOMEZ
The widow of slain former Pulupandan mayor Luis Mondia Jr. yesterday called for prayers that her husband’s assassins will be conscience-stricken and reveal who ordered his killing, so that justice can be attained. Evelinda Javier Mondia brought to Bacolod yesterday the remains of her husband who was gunned down near the Jaro Cathedral in Iloilo on Feb.17. A team of policemen secured Mondia’s kin at the BREDCO port in Bacolod on the arrival of his remains, while another team was assigned to secure the wake at the Rolling Hills Memorial Chapels, Supt. Norberto Boston, Negros Occidental police public safety management commander, said. Mrs. Mondia, in an interview at the RHMC, thanked her husband’s supporters who have been saddened by his death, for their prayers. “Please pray that the mayor will be given justice,” she said. She also called on the person who killed her husband to come out and reveal who told him to carry out the killing. “You will have peace, you will give the mayor justice, and it will be a big help to our family,” she said. Asked if she believed the killing was politically motivated, Mrs. Mondia said “What do think? You have seen how we have been harassed”. Her husband was running for mayor of Pulupandan against incumbent Magdaleno Peña, who is now unopposed for the position. Mrs. Mondia said a police special investigation task force in investigating the death of her husband and she is leaving the matter for them to handle. As of yesterday, the police were still searching for two guns-for-hire identified through facial sketches made from the testimonies of witnesses, Senior Supt. Ricardo de la Paz, Western Visayas police operations chief, said. Two additional police teams have also been assigned in Pulupandan town to conduct checkpoints, to provide police visibility and prevent untoward incidents, Boston said. Inspector Joshua Villasis Jr., Pulupandan police chief, confirmed that the police received a report that a firecracker was lobbed into the Mondia compound in Barangay Zone 2, Pulupandan, after the mayor was killed. He said they responded to the incident but they did not find the culprits when they got to the area. He said several other firecracker explosions also occurred in other parts of the town since Mondia’s death but responding policemen have not been able to catch those responsible. Mrs. Mondia said her husband will lie in state at the RHMC until Sunday when he will be buried at the Santuario de Bacolod after a 2 p.m. mass.*CPG |
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