No declared election ‘hot spots’ in Central Luzon

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — The police and the Commission on Elections (Comelec) have not declared any poll "hot spots" in Central Luzon whose electoral history has been tainted with violence.

"Even in Nueva Ecija where elections were tense in the past, I have no reason to believe that there are private armies being maintained by candidates," Superintendent Vidal Querol, Central Luzon police director, told The STAR. Nueva Ecija used to be considered a "hot spot" in previous elections.

Querol, however, said authorities are keeping a close watch on Arayat and Candaba towns in Pampanga where armed "remnants" of the New People’s Army (NPA) and the Hukbong Mapagpalaya ng Bayan (HMB) are reportedly supporting some local candidates.

"We recently seized some 20 firearms, including Armalites and M-14s from some members of these groups who are now facing appropriate charges," he said.

He identified one of the "remnant groups" in Arayat as the Rebolusyonaryong Gerilya ng Arayat.

Recently, a barangay chairman, said to be a major supporter of Arayat mayoral candidate Chito Espino, was shot dead.

Despite recent violent incidents involving some candidates and their supporters in the region, Querol said, "It would be wrong to always conclude that such incidents are politically motivated. We have confirmed that some of these cases had nothing to do with politics at all."

"In general, I don’t see a spectacle of armed goons that would thwart the people’s right to freely exercise their right of suffrage," he added.

Meanwhile, Querol said he would ask the Comelec to hold elections a day earlier in Barangay Batiawin in Subic, Zambales.

The barangay, which can be reached only on foot after three kilometers of mountain-climbing, has no less than 200 registered voters.

In past elections, Querol said voters in the remote village were allowed to cast their votes a day ahead of the official election day to enable poll officials to transport the ballots to the Comelec office at the Subic town hall.

Showboats and motorcades of local candidates criss-crossed each other along major roads in this capital city last Thursday, the start of official campaigning by local candidates.

Third district Rep. Oscar Rodriguez, the official mayoral candidate of Lakas-CMD in this city, disclosed that campaign streamers installed by his supporters in designated areas Wednesday night were dismantled and replaced by streamers of one of his rivals.

"It’s very unprofessional," he told reporters.

Rodriguez, who is on his last term as congressman, is being challenged by former Immigration Commissioner Andrea Domingo, who is running as an independent Lakas-CMD member, and Vice Mayor Eligio Lagman of the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino.

Last Thursday, Pampanga’s three gubernatorial aspirants — board member Mark Lapid (Lakas-CMD) and Reps. Zenaida Ducut (second district, NPK-Buklod-NPC) and Rimpy Bondoc (fourth district, NPC) — began their respective campaigns by attending Masses and holding motorcades in the second district. — With Ric Sapnu