Duranos on truck burning issue: A ‘political gimmick’

The Isuzu dump truck that was allegedly set on fire. | Contributed photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Barug Alang sa Kauswagan ug Demokrasya (Bakud) party in Cebu’s 5th district has accused Rep. Vincent Franco “Duke” Frasco of using the burning of a truck in Camotes Island as a “political gimmick.”

“The Barug Alang sa Kauswagan ug Demokrasya, the dominant local political party in the Fifth District of Cebu, finds the foul claims regarding the alleged burning of a dump truck in Camotes alarming and demands an immediate condemnation,” said a statement posted on their Facebook page.

In their joint statement, Bakud Chairman Emeritus Nito Durano; party President Red Durano and Vice President Ace Durano has asked Frasco to leave the investigation of the case for authorities to do and to refrain from making premature conclusions.

“The Party believes in the rule of law. We are as interested as much as he (Frasco) is in finding the truth, and we put it to the capable hands of those in authority. We refuse to be part of this trial by publicity, and we challenge those who made these accusations to press charges, present bullet-proof evidence to support your allegations.”

Read: Frasco ‘sponsored’ dump truck for Camotes ‘set on fire’

Frasco has labelled the burning of the truck as a form of “harassment, intimidation, violence, and destruction inflicted upon the people of the 5th District.”

“As much as we applaud Frasco for taking on the job as a fire investigator, we would like to remind him of the responsibility of making baseless allegations and his desperate attempt to paint the incident politically,” said the Bakud statement.

“We condemn to the highest degree this unbecoming conduct of a public official, who, instead of extending arms, resorted to sowing intrigue and further division among the people. He has gone to the extent of burning (not literal, hopefully) bridges just to be able to cry persecution when, the people of the district know very well, that the ‘persecuted’ is allegedly the saboteur himself.”

The Duranos called Frasco’s logic as problematic while it also “sets a very dangerous precedent.”

Since they are Frasco’s political opponents, it cannot be avoided that “any unfortunate incident in the past and in the future, he’ll pin to the BAKUD Party.”

“The people deserve a true leader and not a cry baby,” the statement said.