Widow gets 'message from grave,' fills in for slain husband in barangay polls

MANILA, Philippines - The widow of a slain Malabon City barangay chairman filed yesterday a last-minute bid to fill in for her husband, who was running for re-election, after she said she received a “message from the grave.”

Malabon election officer Jessica Cabrera told The STAR that Cristina Bernardo, widow of Barangay Concepcion chairman Maximo Bernardo, filed her candidacy at around 8 a.m. at the city’s Comelec office.

“Under the law only the wife can replace her husband in case of death,” she said.

Acting Barangay Concepcion chairperson Leah Navarro said the Bernardo family members were having a conference over the vacancy left by Maximo when a green butterfly appeared and began hovering over Cristina’s head.

Cristina considered this as a “message from the grave” from her husband, urging her to take up his fight, according to Navarro.

Maximo was shot dead last Oct. 17 after he emerged from an Aglipayan church. He was hit in the right temple, and the bullet went through the other side.

The victim was rushed to a hospital in Manila, where he was declared dead upon arrival. 

Malabon Mayor Canuto Oreta has condemned the killing and urged the police to resolve the gangland-style execution.

He said in an interview with The STAR that except for Maximo’s murder, no other election-related incident was reported in Malabon and that the conduct of the polls was generally peaceful yesterday.

Metro Manila police officials, however, earlier said Maximo’s killing was not related to the polls.