The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has issued subpoenas to City Councilor Plaridel C. Nava and his known bodyguards to appear before an investigating panel formed to probe the alleged grenade-throwing incident at the Bali Hotel on September 5 last year, sources said.

The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the NBI will seek to obtain the side of Nava and his bodyguards after they were implicated as being responsible for that grenade blast that damaged a portion of the Bali Hotel.

Mercedes "Ging Ging" Nava, a first cousin of the city councilor, pointed to him as the mastermind for the Bali Hotel blast that took place at around 4:30 a.m. after two motorcycle-riding suspects lobbed a fragmentation-type grenade near its stand-by generator house on Duran St.

In an interview over the Kapehan sa Bali program, Ms. Nava said she was present when Councilor Nava ordered bodyguards SPO1 Rex de los Reyes and Gilbert "Ka Rambo" Demonteverde to carry out a grenade attack on the hotel owned by businessman-journalist Rommel S. Ynion.

Councilor Nava is considered the top lieutenant of City Mayor Jed Patrick E. Mabilog. The attack happened after Mabilog and Ynion quarreled over the alleged overpricing of the New Iloilo City Hall building.

Ynion and Mabilog had become bosom buddies during the first few months in the latter's incumbency as City Mayor. To support his friend's political career, Ynion donated 10 e-jeepneys to the city government through Mabilog to provide free transportation for school children and senior citizens.

Ynion also provided financial support for Mabilog during the 2010 elections and the staging of the barangay elections in October 2010.

However, the two quarreled after Ynion warned Mabilog not to proceed with the Phase Two of the city hall project because of the "gargantuan overpricing" that he saw in its costing.

Mabilog assured Ynion that he would not go ahead with the project until the anomalies can be sorted out, but proceeded to award the contract to the F.F. Cruz and Co./Freyssinet Filipinas joint venture without a competitive public bidding.

Ynion regarded Mabilog's action as a "betrayal of the public trust" and openly criticized the alleged irregularities in City Hall project.

According to Mercedes, Councilor Nava ordered the grenade blast attack on the Bali Hotel "to teach his father, Sumakwel, a lesson not to interfere with his political alliance with Mabilog."

The night before, Sumakwel had summoned his son to his home in Barangay Libertad, Lapuz and asked him not to meddle in the raging quarrel between Mabilog and Ynion, Mercedes said.

This angered Plaridel, who left in a huff and uttering the words, "bantayan mo bwas kay may masigabong gid", she said.

Afterwards, Plaridel's group proceeded to a place she called his "hideout" near the Mandurriao housing project. There, Plaridel gave more specific instructions to de los Reyes and Demonteverde to throw a hand grenade at the hotel, she said.

The grenade blast took place in the pre-dawn darkness the next day, she said. She heard about it over the radio. Plaridel also called her up and asked her to meet him at his office in the Sangguniang Panlungsod, she said.

Mercedes said she even reproached Plaridel about the incident, but the latter brushed her off by saying that nobody was hurt after all.

The NBI, through regional director Virgilio Meneses, directed Plaridel and his bodyguards to appear before the agency's Iloilo office yesterday, April 24, sources said.

However, Plaridel wrote Meneses and asked for a new schedule on Wednesday, May 2. He indicated he is not going to give a statement but will just appear to "honor the invitation", sources said.

Plaridel also told the NBI that the subpoena for de los Reyes and Demonteverde, which were both addressed at his office, could not be received because both are not his employees. The NBI also subpoenaed Rolando Navarra and Julius de los Reyes, who are employed as job hires in his office.*