SANTA ROSA CITY, Laguna—Two men who allegedly tried to extort money from a barangay chairman running for reelection in the May 14 polls here were arrested by intelligence unit operatives of the city police on Wednesday.
In a report to Calabarzon Regional Police Director Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar, Laguna Provincial Director Senior Supt. Kirby John Kraft identified the suspects as Jerome Manalo Trinos and Paul Mark Lavina Umlas, both of Santa Rosa City.
They were nabbed inside a restaurant at the Sta. Rosa Commercial Complex in Bgy. Balibago at about 5 p.m. Tuesday, Kraft reported. Operatives also recovered a .45 cal. pistol from Umlas.
According to Santa Rosa City Chief of Police Supt. Eugene Orate, the victim—identified as Cezar Hernandez, who is running for chairman of San Lorenzo South in Barangay Malitlit—said the suspects prodded him to pay them P600,000 in exchange for endorsing his name to the local Iglesia ni Cristo congregation.
The INC is known for block-voting practices in elections. However, the religious group condemned and disowned Trinos and Umlas, saying they were no longer members of the Christian sect.
Sta. Rosa police will file cases of violating the election gun ban and robbery extortion against the suspects, who were locked in the city jail.
