Grenade lobbed outside Capiz town mayor’s house

By Jennifer P. Rendon

Police are still investigating the possible motive and suspects in the grenade-throwing incident outside the house of Mayor Mateo Hachuela of Dumarao, Capiz.

The incident happened around 8:48 p.m. on August 5 at Barangay Poblacion Ilaya, Dumarao.

Hachuela was inside their house during the incident.

According to Nilo Cadelario Huta, one of Hachuela’s employees, he was sitting on a bamboo bench inside the gated property when he heard the explosion.

He claimed to have seen flames spark at the blast site.

Huta said he immediately told Atty. Grace Hachuela, the mayor’s wife, about what happened. She was the one who informed the police about the incident.

Captain Achilles Franco, Jr., Dumarao police chief, said members of the PNP Explosives and Ordnance Division (EOD)-Capiz conducted a post-blast examination in the area.

Members of the scene of the crime operations (SOCO) team also probed the area.

Investigators recovered the body of a hand grenade fragmentation high explosives or M26 and its safety lever.

Other than the galvanized fence, no other things were damaged by the blast.

Franco said there is a CCTV camera in the area.

“But we have still to enhance the footage because the area where it happened was dimly-lit,” he said.

The footage showed two motorcycle-riding men passing by the place before the explosion.

Franco said they’re not discounting the possibility that the incident was just meant to threaten the mayor since the grenade was not lobbed directly at the house.

Hachuela, who is also a lawyer, did not report any threat on his life.