Tuesday, October 30, 2007 Goons harass Tudela voters
ARMED men reportedly harassed potential voters in the island town of Tudela, threatening to burn their homes if they went to the polling precincts to cast their votes.
They also allegedly put indelible ink on the forefingers of some residents there to prevent them from voting.
Police officers and members of the Philippine Army proceeded to the area after learning of the incident but were unable to catch them.
A report stated that the incident happened past 9 p.m. Sunday in Sitio Binabag, Barangay Puertobello in Tudela, Camotes Island.
Five masked men reportedly armed with long and short firearms allegedly threatened Bembe Damole, 40, Grace Huete, 21, Jose Gonato, 40, Sherlita Andoy, 38, and Eduardo Portarcos, 65.
They had already placed indelible ink on the forefinger of Andoy but failed to do this with the others as they learned that the police were on the way.
“Had we arrived sooner, we would have caught up with them. Several police and army officers rushed to the area,” Senior Insp. Ramon Ortiz told Superbalita in Cebuano.
Ortiz, Tudela police chief, said they found a small bottle of indelible ink in the area, which the armed men reportedly left behind.
He said they received information that the armed men were from Ormoc City.
Puertobello is some 12 kilometers away from Tudela proper and has always been a “battle ground” during local elections.
Puertobello has more than 3,000 registered voters and is the biggest barangay in the town.
Politicians usually want to field their own candidates in Puertobello to ensure they have ward leaders in place during the next elections.
“This is the battle ground. If you have the support of the barangay captain here and get 300 votes more that your opponent, you are sure to win,” Ortiz explained.
There are only two candidates running for barangay captain in Puertobello, identified as Arneto Yamas and Marlito Montero.
After receiving the report, Ortiz said they added more police and soldiers in the barangay to ensure the elections would go on smoothly.
As of 4 p.m. yesterday, the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 did not receive any reports of violent incidents in the Central Visayas.
Chief Insp. Virgilio Apurado, who heads the provincial subtask group based in Camotes Island, also told Sun.Star he did not receive a report of the incident.
Ortiz said they are scouring the island where the armed men could possibly be hiding.
“According to the latest information, they managed to leave on a pumpboat bound for Leyte,” Ortiz added. (MEA/With DRT of Superbalita)
