Thursday, May 17, 2007 Comelec chief meets with lawyers on Cordova fight
WHEN Cordova’s new mayor is proclaimed, there will be no extended picture-taking and no triumphant raising of hands, if the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) plan is carried out.
Such a no-frills end to the canvassing was suggested as one way to ease tension in the sixth district town, where supporters of mayoral candidates Adelino Sitoy and Danilo Sinugbuhan are on edge.
Comelec 7 Director Rene Buac met with the legal counsels from the Sitoy and Sinugbuhan camps yesterday morning to discuss ways to keep the proclamation of winners peaceful.
The conference was initiated after Cordova Election Officer Jose Barriga requested for Buac’s presence in the town, as supporters continued to flock to the municipal hall.
During the conference, Buac asked both camps to disperse the supporters to ease the tension there, to which both camps agreed.
Though interviewed while the counting of votes wasn’t over yet, the two candidates for Cordova town mayor both claimed victory.
They also accused one other of delaying the canvassing and creating trouble outside the town’s canvassing area.
More police
Sitoy said that Sinugbuhan went to the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) building to stop the canvassing.
Sinugbuhan, however, said he merely objected to the adjournment of the canvassing. He met with his lawyers and told them to object to the adjournment, because he is leading in the count.
The Provincial Mobile Group fielded more operatives to the town as supporters of the rival candidates started getting restless late yesterday, with the canvassing going into the final stretch.
Both Provincial Board Member Gabriel Luis Quisumbing and incumbent Rep. Nerissa Soon-Ruiz are also claiming they won the sixth district’s House seat.
Sitoy said the trouble that broke out early morning of May 15 was caused by a mix-up in the claiming of election results. Sitoy, who belongs to One Cebu-Kampi, said he was authorized by Quisumbing, Lakas-CMD head for the sixth district, to collect the ERs.
Warning shot
The returns, however, were intended for Sinugbuhan’s party, that’s why his party mate tried to get it from Sitoy, who said he only collected seven ERs.
Trouble broke out before dawn of May 15 while the ballot boxes were being brought to the municipal canvass area. Sitoy accused two supporters of Sinugbuhan of attempting to snatch the ballot boxes.
Sinugbuhan, however, denied the accusation: “Why should we snatch it when we’re leading in the count?”
People started running in all directions and SPO1 Llovero Augusto had to fire a warning shot. Cordova Police Chief Bonifacio Tecson earlier said in an interview that the policeman thought the people running towards him to seek help had “bad intentions.”
Sitoy said he had to go to the police station for protection because people surrounded his vehicle.
In yesterday’s press conference, Sitoy admitted junking Ruiz, his party mate, in favor of Quisumbing. Sitoy said that before he joined One Cebu, he told Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia that he will not be supporting Ruiz.
Sitoy had served as a lawyer of several companies owned by the Quisumbing clan.
Sitoy also blamed Ruiz for the posting of a streamer in Barangay Cogon that said “This is an anti-Sitoy country” and a poster that said, “Ang traydor sa partido dili iboto Addy, Luigi (Don’t vote for party traitors like Addy and Luigi).”
Quisumbing said on Tuesday that he was on his way to succeeding Ruiz as the district’s representative in Congress. Ruiz, however, said she is winning and Quisumbing’s camp is “just preconditioning the minds of the people.”
“He knows that I am winning. We are on the watch. I don’t know unsa ilang interest sa (what is their interest in) Congress,” she said.
Former governor Vicente de la Serna, who also ran for the district’s House seat, said he won’t concede because no elections took place. Candidates, like Quisumbing, “bought the sixth district,” he alleged. (OCP/JST/AAG)
