SAN JORGE, Samar—Grenades were hurled at all three residences here of Mayor Joseph Grey, apparently in retaliation for an ambush last week on his opponent in the May 2016 elections, Manila Standard learned Tuesday.
Unidentified suspects aboard a motorcycle and a van threw the grenades at the houses at 3 a.m., local police said. One policeman, identified as a certain “Rebato” and one of the mayor’s bodyguards identified “Jimmy” were reported wounded.
Police said the suspects first threw a grenade at Grey’s house in Barangay Mancol, then proceeded to lob another explosive at the mayor’s old residence in Barangay Aurora. The last grenade was tossed at Grey’s house along China Road, initial investigation showed.
On Saturday, Grey’s mayoral opponent, Lester Bisnar, and a certain Jeboy Romana were shot at by unidentified men as both were on a motorcycle. They were rushed to Samar Provincial Hospital in Tacloban City for treatment.
Running under the Liberal Party, Grey defeated Bisnar and Jovito Rosales in last May’s elections. Grey beat Bisnar by almost 1,000 votes, while Rosales got just 192 votes according to the official Commission on Elections results in San Jorge, where 9,100 residents voted.