Benatiro denies hiring goons for his campaign

Candidate for Daanbantayan councilor Hiram Benatiro yesterday denied hiring goons to support his campaign, and he even called on the Commission on Human Rights to look into the alleged human rights abuses in the town.

Benatiro countered that the arrest of Jaime Labawan, who confessed earlier that he was a hired goon with 18 others from Davao del Norte, was a drama orchestrated by Mayor Maria Luisa Loot to justify their request to place the town under Comelec control.

Benatiro, a retired chief of the Cebu City Police, said he does not know Labawan and neither a certain Omar who allegedly recruited these goons.

Comelec officials should look into the situation in Daanbantayan to find out who among the candidates has the capability to hire goons, said Benatiro, adding that it is the camp of Loot that has armed men in the guise of being members of the Barangay Intelligence Network.

He also complained about the alleged active involvement of Sr. Supt. Vicente Loot, husband of Mayor Loot, in the campaign of his wife and stepson, Sun Shimura, who is running for mayor.

Benatiro turned the tables now against Mayor Loot alleging that the mayor''s armed men are the ones harassing his supporters, prompting him to ask the CHR to look into these abuses.

With this exchange of accusations, borne out of increasing political tension in the town and the reports of armed men in the area, Cebu Provincial Police acting director Carmelo Valmoria had set the conduct of a peace covenant and dialogue with candidates of the town.

Valmoria yesterday said the said peace covenant was actually schedulad last April 24 but was reset due to the Comelec''s hectic schedule.

It was not certain yet if the candidates will sign the covenant but Valmoria said the Comelec and the police will still pursue with the dialogue so that each of the political parties will be able to present their side to reach a common understanding.

Valmoria said he already sent some policemen to Daanbantayan to ease the current tension there before the dialogue takes place. He added that several checkpoints were already set there now.

The reported presence of armed men in that town is still a manageable situation, Valmoria said but he asked political supporters for sobriety and not stoke further the fire of rivalry among their candidates.

He said the candidates themselves should also help to maintain peace in Daanbantayan, adding that it its not yet possible that the town may be placed under Comelec control.

Valmoria also denied allegations that the Provincial Police has done nothing to resolve the political tension in Daanbantayan, saying that he ordered Chief Insp Jovito Canlapan, the town police chief, to secure rallies and maintain non-partisan activities.

On the arrest of Labawan being Benatiro''s alleged hired goon, Valmoria said the police has yet to do a background check of the man, and verify the allegations against him.

The 30-year-old Labawan, from Santo Tomas, Davao del Norte, was arrested Tuesday night when he entered the house of Tapilon barangay captain Corseno Rosas for possession of a .38 caliber revolver.

In an interview over DYLA radio, Labawan admitted that he was hired by Benatiro, who is a candidate under the group of mayoralty aspirant Augusto Corro, who is running against Shimura.

Labawan alleged that a certain Omar from Panabo, Davao del Norte, brought him and 18 others to Daanbantayan supposedly to paste campaign posters with each of them to be paid P300 daily.

Upon arriving in the town last April 20, however, Labawas said they were surprised when they were issued firearms instead and told to escort the candidates in the latter''s campaign sorties.

Labawan further alleged that he was assigned to escort vice mayoralty candidate Jose De Leon in a rally in barangay Tapilon Tuesday evening but he was left behind.

Then while looking for his companions, he inadvertently got into Rosas'' house where he was arrested. - Fred P. Languido and Flor Z. Perolina/RAE