Two big lessons from Fr. Ed Panlilio’s victory

Nearly two weeks after the elections, Bantayan Island - which comprises the towns of Sta. Fe, Bantayan and Madridejos - remained under the control of the Commission on Elections.

Eliseo Labaria, the island's Comelec supervisor, said yesterday that only their central office in Manila can lift the control. But he said he is expecting that the order would be lifted within a few days.

Labaria pointed out that the deployment of military and police personnel on the island will remain to prevent any violence that would occur following the proclamation of the winners.

"The Comelec control on the Island of Bantayan is still there and the order has not yet been lifted. I'm still waiting for the order before the pulling out of men in the place," Labaria said.

Labaria claimed that the elections in the three municipalities of the island were generally peaceful. "It's a 100 percent peaceful except yung mga reklamo both camps. But overall, no violence happened."

The killing of Sta. Fe mayoralty candidate Rogelio Ilustrisimo Sr. and the arrest of armed bodyguards of Madridejos Mayor Letty Mancio prompted police and military officials to push the island under the Comelec control.

Comelec Resolution 7773 states that the commission may place under its immediate and direct control any "political division" only if it is affected by serious armed threats.

The same resolution considers a situation of an area serious when "there is a presence of paramilitary forces, private armies or identifiable armed bands widely perceived to have committed terrorism, fraud or other election irregularities and threaten or tend to disrupt the holding of free, peaceful, honest, orderly and credible elections in any political division, unit or area." - Garry B. Lao/LPM