Saturday, May 05, 2007 Intense political rivalry ‘is not enough’ for Comelec control
INTENSE political rivalry in a locality will not be enough basis to put a city or town under the control of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), a local poll official said.
Regional Election Attorney and Provincial Election Supervisor Lionel Castillano would not say yet whether it is possible to put Sta. Fe town in Bantayan Island under Comelec control until the police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines submit their written recommendation.
Citing the intense political rivalry in Bantayan Island, Cebu Provincial Police Office Acting Director Carmelo Valmoria told reporters he recommended that the three island towns be placed under the poll body’s control.
The towns of Bantayan, Madridejos and Sta. Fe, which make up Bantayan Island, have been identified as election areas of concern because of intense political rivalry and the reported presence of armed men.
“I have not received his (Valmoria’s) written recommendation yet but his basis should be consistent with the grounds for allowing a locality to be placed under Comelec control. I will need a factual and legal basis before I can agree with their recommendation,” Castillano told Sun.Star Cebu.
Comelec Resolution 7773 states that the commission may place under its immediate and direct control any political division only if it is affected by serious armed threats.
The same resolution defines serious armed threat as a situation where “there is a 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, honest, orderly and credible elections in any political division, unit or area.”
Recommendation
“Whether intense political rivalry is enough basis to declare a town under our control, basin kuwang iyang reason, dili pa siguro angay. But I will not conclude anything yet because it’s not only the police’s recommendation that we will consider, but also the AFP’s and the election officer’s, as well as the results of the investigation,” Castillano said.
Sta. Fe Election Officer Maria Neriza Gigante already submitted her written recommendation on how the Comelec and police should handle the northern town following the shooting to death of mayoral candidate and incumbent councilor Rogelio Ilustrisimo Sr. in Cebu City last Wednesday morning.
Castillano would not disclose Gigante’s recommendation for security reasons, saying the issue is a sensitive matter.
Based on the recommendations of the CCPO, AFP and the election officer, Castillano will make his own report and recommendation and submit it to Commissioner-in-charge for the Visayas Resureccion Borra.
Borra, in turn, will refer the matter to the commission en banc for action, Castillano said. (LCR)
