Suspect throws grenade at house of Jaen, Nueva Ecija mayor

An unidentified suspect hurled a grenade at the house of Jaen, Nueva Ecija Mayor Sylvia Austria before dawn on Saturday.

Footage from closed-circuit television showed the exact moment two suspects riding in tandem on a motorcycle passed in front of the mayor's house.

The back rider threw something at the gate, then the suspects sped off, according to a report on GMA News' Unang Balita on Monday.

When daybreak came, residents saw the grenade in front of the gate and promptly informed authorities.

Police recovered the hand fragmentation grenade with its pin still attached, thus it did not explode.

Investigation is ongoing regarding the incident.

In December last year, two explosions from an improvised explosive device rocked the gate of the municipal hall in Jaen.

Tension also gripped Jaen in the last week of January this year during a confrontation at the municipal hall of supporters of Austria and Antonio Esquivel.

Austria was declared the winner in the May 2019 elections but she stepped down from office in December after the Regional Trial Court Branch 87 handed down a decision in favor of Esquivel's election protest.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) second division, on January 12, 2021 however issued a status quo ante-order reinstating Austria as the mayor of Jaen.

Esquivel, however, did not accept the Comelec order and the resolution of the Sangguniang Bayan recognizing Austria as the duly elected mayor. —KG, GMA News