Isabela board hits bishop’s pastoral letter

ILAGAN, Isabela — Members of the provincial board have confronted Bishop Sergio Utleg of the Diocese of Ilagan for issuing a pastoral letter alleging fraud in the recent special elections in the fourth congressional district.

In Thursday’s regular session, board members Maria Josephine Borromeo, Romarico Eugenio, Manuel Binag, Benito Calderon, Ana Cristina Go, Ysmael Atienza, Antonio Ladera Jr., Venancio Villarta, Rosa Alindada and Nicasia Bautista passed a resolution condemning in "strongest terms" Utleg’s pastoral letter and demanded that he reconsiders it.

Just recently, the same board members demanded public apology from Bishop Ramon Villena of the Diocese of Bayombong for accusing Isabela Gov. Faustino Dy Jr. of "negotiating" for the resumption of jueteng in Nueva Vizcaya.

Dy even threatened to sue Villena for libel unless he makes a public apology. But the bishop has refused to do so, saying he welcomes the legal action.

In his pastoral letter, read in all churches in Isabela, Utleg described the special polls in the fourth district to be the "most fraudulent" in the province.

Utleg said the alleged massive fraud was done by "manipulative hands," who desecrated the people’s right to choose their leaders.

"The pastoral letter might have overlooked that it was looking at only one side of the accusations being made and exerting no effort to base its accusations (on) verified facts," stated the resolution authored by Bautista and Alindada, both representing the fourth district.

The board members said Utleg "must reconsider the contents of his pastoral letter and confer impartiality to all those involved in the special elections."

Utleg, however, was unfazed by the resolution, saying it was passed for "future support in the coming polls."

He vowed not to reconsider his pastoral letter, and reiterated his call to declare a failure of elections and nullify the proclamation of former senior board member Giorgidi Aggabao.

In the official tally of the district board of canvassers, Giorgidi Aggabao of the Nationalist People’s Coalition won by more than 13,000 votes over Dr. Asuncion Abaya of the Lakas-NUCD.

Abaya is the widow of Rep. Antonio Abaya, whose death prompted the special polls in the fourth district.

Aggabao was supported by Dy and the mayors of seven municipalities comprising the fourth district, while Abaya was backed up by Santiago City Mayor Jose Miranda.

Utleg said, "My pastoral letter, contrary to the claim of the provincial board members, was based on verified facts and testimonies of people involved in the special elections."

In an interview with ABS-CBN Cagayan Valley, Susan Dolores, election registrar of San Isidro town, alleged that Mrs. Abaya won over Aggabao by more than 200 votes.

For his part, Joey Agpaoa, assistant election registrar of San Agustin town, said in an interview with Bombo Radyo dzNC-Cauayan, that Abaya had an edge of more than 1,500 votes against Aggabao.

Dolores and Agpaoa, however, both wondered how Aggabao won in San Isidro and San Agustin by thousands of votes over Abaya when the election returns from their towns were canvassed by the members of the district board of canvassers at the capitol building.

In the official canvass held at the provincial capitol, Aggabao trounced Abaya by more than 7,000 votes in San Isidro and more than 1,500 votes in San Agustin.

Dolores also asked how Aggabao allegedly garnered more than 7,000 votes over Abaya when the total number of votes cast was only 6,290.

"Kasano nga napasamak dayta (How could than happen)?" she asked.

Aside from the testimonies of Dolores and Agpaoa, Utleg said there are other pieces of documentary evidence obtained and collated by the members of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) that could prove the alleged massive fraud committed in the towns of San Isidro, San Agustin and Ramon.

"The Church cannot just close its eyes to these immoral acts, otherwise, we will be accused of being remiss of our prophetic role and duty to speak of the truth," he said.

Earlier, second district Rep. Edwin Uy had called on the House of Representatives to conduct an inquiry into the special elections.

In a privilege speech, Uy said the inquiry should determine how the alleged massive padding and switching of election returns were committed to insulate future elections from such irregularities.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. has formed a task force to investigate the allegations.