A VILLAGE chief, a reserved Colonel of the Philippine Air Force, was caught on camera giving out campaign materials some 20 meters away from the polling precinct past 8 a.m. on May 14.
Lawyer and law professor Lauro Gacayan, whose son was caught on camera former Palma-Urbano barangay chairman Alberto Reyes and Palma-Urbano barangay chairman bet Boy Cruz distributing campaign materials said, “it is time to cleanse Baguio of election law violators.”
Association of Barangay Captains president and councilor Michael Lawana according to Gacayan identified the duo in the photograph taken by his son.
Gacayan said he is formally pressing charges against Reyes and Cruz.
Also posted by Gacayan on Facebook, the incident already earned 51 comments and 18 shares as of Monday afternoon, and counting.
Efforts to reach former barangay chairman Reyes, whose family comes from an influential political clan in Baguio City, and candidate Cruz remained futile.
Comelec-Baguio Election Supervisor lawyer John Paul Alegre Martin said, “that is welcome,” adding, “let the formal charges against those persons be filed.”
Reyes and Cruz, when found guilty, face perpetual disqualification from holding public office, lawyer Gacayan said.
Aside from the disqualification, a jail term of not less than one year but not more than six years without probation will be meted out for them.
Section 5, Art. IX-C of the 1987 Philippine Constitution also says no pardon, parole, amnesty or probation will be granted for those found guilty of election offenses without the favorable recommendation of the Commission on Election en banc, Gacayan further cited.
Lawyer Martin also claimed they have caught several other violators earlier Monday distributing sample ballots near polling precincts.
He vowed election law violators would be formally charged “to teach them lessons.”
Around 9:30 a.m., Nestor Tabuyan Pelino, from Upper Pinget barangay here, was caught by members of the Public Order and Safety Division distributing sample ballots inside the polling precincts at the Baguio Central Elementary School, just a stone-throw away from the Baguio City Hall. (Ace Algere)