2 grenades found in hotel not meant for Leni’s rally
By Mar S. Arguelles
The Philippine National Police (PNP) in Naga City has dismissed reports on Saturday, Feb. 5, that the two rifle grenades found in a garbage area of Carmen Hotel were meant to disrupt the launching of the Leni-Kiko proclamation rally set on Tuesday, Feb. 8, or the holding of the last day of the Bar examination in city.
Police Senior Master Sergeant Tobias Bongon, spokesperson of the Naga City Police Office has assured the public that the discovery of the explosives has nothing to do with the proclamation rally of presidential aspirant Leni Robredo and her running mate Sen. Kiko Pangilinan on Feb. 8 or the last day of the bar examination on Feb. 6 at the University of Nueva Caceres (UNC).
Bongon in a phone interview said “we are 10,000 percent positive that the incident has nothing to do with the upcoming city events. The discovery of the explosive was purely an irresponsible handling and safekeeping where ongoing investigation is being conducted.”
Carlos Cambe Jr., an employee of the City Solid Waste Management Office at around 10:00 AM on Friday, Feb. 4, while collecting a pile of garbage near the swimming pool of the Carmen Hotel found the two pieces of rifle grenades inside a cock box.
This prompted Cambe to report the incident to the police. The police immediately dispatched a team of Explosive and Ordnance (EOD) personnel to investigate and take the rifle grenades for safekeeping.
Police investigators said that the cock box where the explosives were hidden was reportedly owned by Redentor Tumaturgo, the hotel’s chief security.
Tumatorgo, who is a former Philippine Navy personnel, reportedly admitted that he owns the cock box, however, he denied ownership of the explosives.
According to Bongon, while investigators recorded the testimony of Tumaturgo, they would further conduct an investigation to find out the real owner of the explosives.
The Carmen Hotel located in Barangay San Francisco, Naga City, temporarily closed its operation since December 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The hotel is less than a kilometer away from Plaza Quezon, the venue of the Leni-Kiko and their senatorial slate proclamation rally on Feb. 8.