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Saturday, December 23, 2006
No replacement for slain Abra lawmaker: official
By Rimaliza Opiña and Jane Cadalig
BAGUIO CITY -- The "orphaned" province of Abra will not have any representative in Congress for the next six months, unless the House of Representatives decides to conduct a special election.
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Commission on Elections (Comelec) Regional Director Armando Velasco told Sun.Star the rule on succession applies only to positions in the local level: from the governor down to the barangay chairman.
In case of district representation, Velasco said it is within the internal rules of the House to decide if it would call for a special session and vote for the conduct of special elections.
Velasco however doubts that a special election would be called at this time.
"It might not be practical," Velasco explained, citing that the case of an Isabela representative who died a year before his term expired might not apply in the Abra case.
Benguet provincial election officer Julius Torres agreed with Velasco, but said he does not think that pending bills or resolutions authored or co-authored by the legislator would be left unattended.
He said Bersamin's colleagues in Congress could handle any of his unfinished business.
On investigation into Bersamin's death and similar cases, the police said the cooperation of the public would go a long way to stopping violence in the province.
Superintendent Joseph Adnol, Police Regional Office-Cordillera information officer, said the assistance of Abra residents in pinpointing individuals responsible for sowing terror and violence is needed to bring peace to the province.
"The expertise of the Abra communities is a great help in the resolution of the killings. We are having a hard time solving (criminal) cases. And we need people to come out in the open and testify. They know more about Abra than us," Adnol said.
Police are still investigating the motive behind the assassination of Bersamin outside a church in Quezon City last December 16. A task force was already formed and a P1-million bounty offered for the immediate identification of those behind the lawmaker's death.
Two days after Bersamin's slay, the house of an Abra mayor was also strafed. Although the motive behind the shooting has yet to be established, Dolores Mayor Albert Guzman Guzman admitted the incident is linked to Bersamin's murder. (Sun.Star Baguio/Sunnex)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Zamboanga. (December 23, 2006 issue)
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