Comelec control of P’sinan town urged following slay

SUAL, Pangasinan — The acting provincial supervisor of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) requested that this town be placed under the poll body’s control following the killing of a municipal council bet last Monday.

Lawyer Reddy Balarbar, acting Comelec supervisor based in Dagupan City, told The STAR that this town’s election officer, Eva Quinto, made the request in a letter to him yesterday.

Berting Reynaldo, 52, chairman of Barangay Baybay Norte here who was running for councilor under the Lakas-CMD (Christian-Muslim Democrats), was gunned down by three ski mask-wearing men in front of his house.

He sustained 16 gunshot wounds from M-14, M-16 and Carbine rifles. Police recovered 23 empty shells at the crime scene.

However, Balarbar said he fears that there will be not enough time for the Comelec en banc to act on the request considering that the elections will be held four days from today.

"Gipit na ang panahon (There is not enough time) so we will do our best to do some preventive measures to avert further violence," he said.

He said he would request the Armed Forces to deploy an augmentation force in this town.

Balarbar met Maj. Gen. Romeo Dominguez, commanding general of the Armed Forces’ North Luzon Command in charge of Regions 1, 2 and the Cordillera Administrative Region, and Gen. Juvenal Narcise at the regional police headquarters in La Union last Tuesday.

He said Senior Superintendent Mario Sandiego, Pangasinan police director, earlier requested for a battalion of soldiers composed of 500 men. However, only four companies of soldiers will be deployed mostly in the eastern part of Pangasinan.

But because of the tense situation in western Pangasinan which includes this town, some of the soldiers may be fielded there, Sandiego said.

This town was not one of those earlier recommended to be placed under Comelec control because historically, elections here had been peaceful.

But because of the reported intense political rivalry in the first district and the killing of Reynaldo who was identified with re-electionist Rep. Arthur Celeste, Sandiego said, "The most that we can do is to (deploy more) personnel to avert bloodshed and to set up checkpoints."

Sandiego advised local candidates to advise their respective supporters to observe sobriety.

Celeste believes that politics was behind Reynaldo’s killing although the police are exploring other angles like the victim’s alleged involvement in illegal fishing.