|
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Bogo poll officer wants to move out
By Minerva B. Gerodias
CEBU CITY -- Bogo City Mayor Celestino “Junie” Martinez Jr. is being accused of committing another irregularity, this time for allegedly harassing the city’s election officer.
Election Officer Jose Menguez reported Tuesday to his superior that their office was ransacked last July 11 and that the doorknob has been changed without their knowledge and their power supply cut off.
Pinoy Votes: Sun.Star Election 2007 Coverage
View here the list of local winners
These incidents prompted Menguez to write Provincial Election Supervisor Lionel Marco Castillano Tuesday requesting for his and his staff’s “immediate” transfer to another office.
Menguez is also requesting for a close-in security from the Philippine National Police and that he be “detailed temporarily at the office of the Provincial Election Supervisor or Office of the Regional Election Director.”
Menguez has also written Martinez, informing him of his intention to move out of the Bogo City Hall.
“Without necessarily questioning your action of changing the doorknob/key, cutting the electric connection to our office without our knowledge, please be informed that the undersigned has requested our Provincial Office that we be allowed to transfer our office to another place possible,” Menguez said in his July 16 letter to Martinez.
Castillano has instructed Menguez to look for a place where they can transfer that is secure enough for their documents.
But Mayor Martinez said he will have to “study” the Comelec’s request to transfer office.
He also told Sun.Star Cebu that Menguez has been replaced as Bogo’s election officer by Ferdinand Hortelano from Naga.
Martinez said he saw the order last Friday.
Castillano, however, denied this saying he or the Regional Office has not issued any order to replace Menguez.
In his incident report, Menguez narrated that on July 11, his casual employee, who was the first to report for work, noticed that their office was in disarray.
A jalousie blade of the back window of the office has been removed and their V-SAT antenna was missing.
The blackboard was brought down and office papers and files were scattered.
Upon learning this, Menguez instructed his staff to close the office and not to touch anything.
But Mayor Martinez said he has not heard of the reported ransacking of the Comelec office.
He, however, said that if the report were true, the Comelec officials must report it to the police for proper investigation.
Yet, Martinez admitted he doubts the veracity of the report.
On July 13, the casual employee also reported to the Comelec office to get the two computers for the installation of SK software at Comelec Provincial Office.
While waiting for a ride, a policeman from the Bogo City police station “forced” him to return the computer to the office as he “did not ask permission from the higher officials of Bogo.”
To avoid trouble, he acceded.
Menguez said he had to explain to the treasurer the purpose of getting the computer; it was later released.
Last Sunday, the start of the registration for the Sangguniang Kabataan and barangay elections, Comelec personnel discovered that they could no longer enter their office as the key they were holding doesn’t fit the doorknob anymore.
A police officer approached Menguez’s staff and opened the office using another key.
They later learned that the doorknob has been replaced. The police officer who opened the office for them apologized saying he was just following orders from the “higher officials” of Bogo.
“Now, when we will enter our office, we have to ask permission from the police or from the mayor’s office,” Menguez said in his report.
But Martinez said the Comelec officials were given a copy of the key to the new doorknob.
He also denied the reported cutting off of power lines and said that proof to it is the ongoing registration, which requires power for the computers. (Sun.Star Cebu)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Pangasinan. (July 18, 2007 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
|
|
[return to top]
[home]
|
|
2 Marines slain as troops search for Bossi in Sulu