Saturday, May 05, 2007 Lift gun ban on election season: Tomas
THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) is “abusing its authority” by imposing a gun ban during elections, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said, adding that if he has his way, he will abolish such a rule.
“Gangsters don’t get permits or gun ban exemptions,” he said.
That is why he can empathize with businessmen who defy the ban by bringing with them their licensed guns when depositing large sums in the banks.
He made the statement following the shooting to death of Sta. Fe town mayoral candidate Rogelio Ilustrisimo Sr. Wednesday morning outside the Comelec province office at the Capitol compound.
He was asked for his comments on the resolution that prohibits the public from carrying even their licensed guns from Jan. 14, 2007 to June 13, 2007.
“Abuse”
Section 2(a) of Comelec Resolution 7764 states that it is unlawful for “any person, including those possessing a permit to carry firearms outside of residence or place of business, to bear, carry, or transport firearms or other deadly weapons in public places including any building, street, park, private vehicle or public conveyance.”
Five men were arrested for carrying firearms in Bantayan Island last Thursday night.
“Comelec is abusing its authority. The mayor is entitled to carry firearms, and barangay captains too. That is in the Constitution. I cannot imagine the Comelec amending the Constitution,” the mayor said.
He said he is “pretty sure” the Comelec will lose if its gun ban order is challenged in court.
He said the Comelec makes it difficult to ask for exemptions, and that he got his only five days ago after applying early last February.
“And that’s with constant follow-up pa. They would say we need this, we need that,” Osmeña said.
He said he is in favor of arming candidates if they just pass the psychological test.
This is made more imperative because candidates are prohibited from employing bodyguards.
Meanwhile, money is pouring by the millions in the runup to the May 14 polls.
And more, including fake bills, are expected to flood voters on election day.
Concerned about this, Cebu City Councilor Arsenio Pacaña asked the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 7, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) 7, and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to go after counterfeiters and come up with measures to prevent bogus money from deluging the market.
In a measure the City Council will discuss next week, the committee on trade, commerce, and industry chairman said that if left unchecked, fake money will have a negative effect on the country’s economy.
“Take appropriate action in close coordination with the NBI and CIDG calculated to check on the counterfeiters, especially during the election period, which tends to undermine the flow and conduct of free commerce and trade of the country, including Cebu City,” he urged the BSP.
Pacaña quoted monetary experts as saying that well-organized counterfeit syndicates tend to operate in places where the capability of concerned government agencies is allegedly weak and ineffective.
He said counterfeiters will surely cash in on the elections and will “dupe some of the voting public.”
To ensure that they do not get victimized, he asked the Cebuanos not to accept money offered in exchange for their votes.
Also, Pacaña said the Visayan Electric Co. (Veco), National Transmission Commission, and National Power Corp. should work together to ensure stable power supply, especially in mountain barangays.
He said power outages, whether intended or not, could undermine the whole electoral process as it would give unscrupulous candidates the chance to rig the votes.
Veco spokesperson Ethel Natera, however, told Sun.Star Cebu in an interview last week that the company already arranged with Cebu Private Power Corp., the utility firm’s independent power producer, to be ready for the elections.
She said Veco will have standby vehicles and personnel to immediately respond to power outages and other problems. (RHM)
