Tuesday, May 15, 2007 Editorials: Worrisome poll developments
REPORTS on the police seizing firearms, ammunition and cash from a van owned by Cordova Mayor Arleigh Sitoy should worry well-meaning people of Cebu province.
This is the second big catch in this year's campaign period, the first one being that in Madridejos town in far off Bantayan Island in northern Cebu.
What makes the recent incident interesting is that it happened in Metro Cebu.
The Sitoy family, through its patriarch, lawyer and Cordova mayoral bet Adelino, has questioned the legality of the seizure and the presence of the items in the van.
But whatever will be the outcome of the investigation into the incident, the fact remains that this had something to do with yesterday's political exercise.
Signaling a shift
The confiscation of firearms in Bantayan and Mactan, plus the killing of Sta. Fe mayoral bet Rogelio Ilustrisimo Sr. could signal a shift in the way elections are held here.
It could mean that local candidates are increasingly resorting to illegal means either to gain advantage over their rivals or to even up the situation.
This possible shift in the candidates' mindset could plunge Cebu in the next few elections into the same setup that areas like Masbate and Abra are now in.
Three factors
That, though, could be an overreaction and that majority of the politicians in Cebu may still be high level considering the "premier" status of the province and its voters.
But three factors that could cause a worsening of the situation seem present now:
--Candidates who are willing to use all means, including the illegal ones, to win;
--The availability of resources (guns, people willing to be hired as goons, money);
--Weak law enforcement or one that allows suspects to escape prosecution.
Until these factors are being attended to, what will happen next is predictable.
Brazen acts
Eventually, one may ask what is in an elective post that candidates are willing to spend millions of pesos, even commit violent acts, just to snag it.
The bigger question, however, is why some candidates in Cebu seem to have become more brazen in committing questionable acts in the past few elections.
Is this because they are thinking that they can get away with it?
