Escolin claims Baltar provoked coffee shop punching incident

By Felipe V. Celino

ROXAS CITY, Capiz — President Roxas Mayor Receliste Tanoy Escolin claimed it was former Aranguel village chief Richard Baltar who provoked an incident that resulted in a punch inside a coffee shop on Friday morning.

“It was Baltar that provoked an incident which resulted in a punch,” Escolin said in reply to Baltar’s allegation that he was punched by one of the mayor’s bodyguards inside a coffee shop in Poblacion, President Roxas, Capiz, on Feb. 27.

“Nagaiwas gane ko. Ikaw, di ka kaiwas sa gamo?” Escolin said.

President Roxas police said the incident happened around 6:45 a.m. while Escolin was drinking coffee.

Police said Baltar entered the shop and ordered coffee, and his foot was stained by coffee as Escolin mixed his drink.

A heated argument followed, and one of the mayor’s bodyguards punched Baltar, injuring his eye and eyebrow, police said.

Bystanders pacified the situation and applied first aid to Baltar’s eye injuries, police said.

Escolin denied the allegation and claimed it was the former village chief who started the confrontation.

Escolin told police that while he was mixing coffee, Baltar uttered unpleasant words and attempted to punch him.

Police said Baltar was among the complainants who filed a disqualification case against Escolin during the last elections.

Escolin said he had hired Baltar as market supervisor but relieved him from the position because of several complaints against him, which he believed caused Baltar to hold a grudge.

The mayor asked Baltar to pinpoint which among his bodyguards punched him, asserting that none of them resorted to violence despite the tension.

He advised his constituents to avoid making trouble and invoked the word “delicadeza,” urging them to never instigate or provoke.

Meanwhile, three stitches were applied to Baltar’s eyebrow after he was allegedly punched by Escolin’s bodyguard.

Baltar claimed that the mayor threw coffee on him while he was ordering, which caused him to utter unpleasant words against Escolin.

The Commission on Elections recently disqualified Escolin en banc after finding he had completed three terms as mayor of President Roxas, although he ran again and was declared the winner against three opponents.

Escolin asserted that he had not completed three terms because he was suspended for 90 days by the Office of the Ombudsman for simple misconduct.

Comelec recently gave Escolin five days to comment on the petition filed by Baltar’s group and an opponent, former Sangguniang Bayan member Bart Locsin.