Thursday, April 26, 2007 Serious threat required for Comelec rule By Linette C. Ramos & Jovy S. Taghoy Sun.Star Staff Reporters
A LOCAL poll official yesterday warned candidates, including the incumbents, against seeking Comelec control of their locality, as this will mean complete takeover of their towns and cities by the poll body.
Instead of asking for their towns to be placed under the control of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) or to be identified as election areas of concern, candidates should just abide by their oath to follow all national and election laws.
Comelec 7 Regional Attorney and Provincial Election Supervisor Lionel Castillano said no locality will be placed under their control unless a serious armed threat that will prevent the holding of the election in the area is reported and verified.
And as long as the police and the local election officers can still handle the situation, towns and cities in Central Visayas will just be monitored.
The Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 and the Comelec have identified La Libertad in Oriental Negros and the three towns in Bantayan Island, Cebu as the only areas of concern in the region.
Castillano said, though, that more towns and cities might be declared areas of concern by next week after the police and poll officials complete their assessment of peace and order in the different localities in the region.
“If the Comelec and PNP can still handle the situation, we will not declare a town or city under Comelec control. Comelec control might sound good to the candidates but maybe it is because they do not understand that we if take control, we become like mayors,” Castillano said during yesterday’s Kapihan sa PIA.
Requests
Citing threats from their political opponents, presence of armed men and tension in their areas, candidates from the towns of Daanbantayan, Madridejos, Bantayan and Medellin, Toledo City and Cebu City’s south district have asked that their localities be placed under Comelec control.
“Ang Comelec na gyud ang magmayor ana if that’s what they ask. We will control political activities in the locality, all National Government offices performing election functions and all administrative functions in their city or town that involves the disbursement of funds,” Castillano said.
Castillano explained that control of administrative functions will help ensure that the prohibition on the use of public funds for campaign purposes is implemented.
PRO 7 officials also attended the Kapihan sa PIA and the Talakayan sa Isyu ng Pulis (TSIP) at Club Ultima yesterday morning.
Senior Supt. Lani-o Nerez, head of the Regional Task Force Hope (honest, orderly and peaceful elections) and Cebu Provincial Police Office Director Carmelo Valmoria urged supporters of local candidates to avoid resorting to violence.
“I would like to reiterate to the supporters, let us not put fuel to the fire,” Valmoria said.
Big role
Both officials said that the police have already mapped out measures for the May 14 elections, and local candidates have a “big role” in making the exercise peaceful and orderly.
In Bantayan Island and Daanbantayan town, Valmoria said they have sent additional manpower to help the local police in conducting checkpoints and patrols.
Chief Supt. Ronald Roderos, deputy regional director for administration, said that since the election campaign started last Jan. 14 up to April 20, the PRO 7 has conducted a total of 116 operations, confiscated 122 firearms, 31 bladed weapons, 343 ammunitions and filed 104 cases against violators of the election gun ban.
During the discussion, Castillano assured all candidates and the public that security in their towns and cities is constantly monitored and that policemen are deployed in areas where they are needed.
He also appealed to the candidates not to take the law into their own hands, and to leave all their peace and order concerns to the Comelec and the police.
Castillano warned that any act of violence is grounds for the disqualification of candidates in the May 14 election.
Definition
Under Comelec Resolution 7773, the poll body may place a certain locality under its control only if it is affected by “serious armed threats.”
“The term serious armed threat shall refer to the presence of paramilitary forces, private armies or identifiable armed bands widely perceived to have committed terrorism, fraud or other election irregularities and threaten or tend to disrupt the holding of free, peaceful, orderly and credible elections in any political division,” the resolution read.
Once it takes control of a locality, the commission is authorized to take immediate and direct control and supervision over all national and local officials and employees required by law to perform duties and comply with prohibitions related to the election.
It can also control and supervise all national and local law enforcement agencies and military officers and men assigned in the area.
