Sunday, September 30, 2007 Death threats reach aspirant for Luz chief
EVEN before she could file her certificate of candidacy (COC), Barangay Luz First Councilor Nida Cabrera has received numerous death threats in recent days.
She blamed “narco-politics,” as she is known in the barangay for her hard-line stance against illegal drugs.
She, however, would not pin the blame on a prospective opponent in the Oct. 29 elections, saying it could be his supporters who sent the messages.
Cabrera seeks to replace Barangay Captain Nemesio Pagador, who is barred from running for the same post and opted to retire from barangay politics.
Cabrera, though, said that her likely political opponent has been spending lavishly despite the lack of a viable source of income.
She said that if the person is not directly involved in the threats she received, his supporters were likely the ones who did.
“Kun dili madala sa boto, bala (If votes won’t work, bullets will),” read one of the messages she received.
And just yesterday morning, she also received a note with the same warning.
Scare tactics
“Sugod na ang kumbati diri…. Mora na man nig hotspot ang amo-a. Maayo gani naay kwarenta ka pulis naa gi-house sa barangay hall (The fight has started here. It’s like a hotspot, but it’s a good thing there are 40 police operatives housed at the barangay hall),” she said.
In a separate interview, Pagador told Sun.Star that Cabrera has not confided to him about the death threats.
He said that if there was anyone who would receive threats because of the campaign against illegal drugs, he’d be the first.
That is why he believes that the threats Cabrera received were all politically motivated and designed to dissuade her from running.
Pagador said that although his son Jerome, who is known more known in the neighborhood as Amay, is running in next month’s elections, he endorsed Cabrera to take his place.
Amay has opted to run for barangay councilor under Cabrera’s group.
Pagador said he will investigate the threats and try to identify who were behind them.
Cabrera said that her family, friends and supporters were worried, which is why she has become more security-conscious.
She is confident, though, that Luz voters are already mature enough not to be blinded by cash and other temptations and will vote according to who they believe would serve them more. (RHM)
