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Friday, March 19, 2004
Cebu bets vow to campaign v. poll violence
By Charmaine Y. Rodriguez
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
TEN local candidates, party-list organizations, election officials and members of civil society signed yesterday a compact for peaceful elections and promised to monitor all forms of poll-related violence in Cebu.
Compact, a movement initiated by various organizations based in the National Capital Region, realized the urgency of direct intervention to stop violence as election day nears.
“We want to try to minimize bloody incidents. The PNP has reported that 46 people already died since campaigning began,” Robert Francis Garcia, Compact spokesperson, told participants in yesterday’s activity at the Eduardo Aboitiz Development Studies Center.
Compact believes that “the freedom of choice can only thrive in a climate of peace.”
Aside from harassment and coup threats, Garcia also lamented the new phenomenon called “permit to campaign” (PTC) fees, which are solicited by armed groups from candidates to allow them to campaign in some areas.
Political costs
Compact wants to “exact political costs to perpetrators of violence.”
Fr. Carmelo Diola of Barug Pilipino agreed with Compact’s stand. “In a democracy, adverse public opinion is the people’s weapon,” he said.
The signatories included vice gubernatorial candidate Adelino Sitoy, who also represented gubernatorial candidate and incumbent Vice Gov. John Gregory Osmeña; Consolacion Vice Mayor Nene Alegado, an ally of gubernatorial candidate Celestino Martinez Jr.; and Jagobiao Barangay Captain Danilo Loquias, who was there in behalf of Mandaue City Mayor Thadeo Ouano.
Also present were Kusug’s Cebu City mayoralty candidate Alvin Garcia; candidate for councilor Jessie Aznar; Councilor Danilo Fernan, who is eyeing the north district congressional seat; and Cerecio Mapula, who represented congressional candidate Aristotle Batuhan.
Cebu City Councilor Sylvan Jakosalem represented Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan.
Cathy Ruiz of Akbayan also said reelectionist Rep. Raul del Mar (Cebu City, north), went to their office yesterday afternoon to sign the compact.
Intimidation
Aside from Diola, Commission on Elections (Comelec) officials Marshall Rubia and Simaco Labata, C-Cimpel representatives Ermenia Dosdos and Louella Alix were also present.
Party-list groups Akbayan and Abanse Pinay, organizations like Forge, Kamatuoran Inc., Kaabag sa Sugbo, Makalaya and the Center for Participatory Governance were also represented.
They promised to condemn all forms of intimidation perpetrated against any group or person, any form of violence committed by the military or any destabilization attempt, intimidation by armed groups and the collection of PTCs and harassment by private armies.
Former mayor Garcia, however, said that only forms of “violence and intimidation” in Cebu City are the efforts of politicians to deny the people of their will through “dagdag-bawas with the help of poll clerks or teachers.”
He suggested that they also condemn the ways of controlling or manipulating election results through vote buying and cheating, so the compact was amended.
While he agrees with former mayor Garcia that Cebu City is “peaceful” compared with the rest of the region, Rubia said the “probability of violence is there all the time.”
Diola said that what should be harnessed is the ordinary citizen’s potential to be involved in monitoring violence.
He asked Rubia if pictures taken from mobile phones with built-in cameras could be submitted as evidence. Rubia said they prefer affidavits since these could stand in court.
Diola also commended the politicians for making public their commitment to condemn violence.
“But the proof of the pudding is in the eating,” he told reporters.
(March 19, 2004 issue)
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