Isabela bishop warns of chaos

CAUAYAN City, Isabela — "I think there will be chaos."

Ilagan Bishop Sergio Utleg warned of such a situation in Isabela, the country’s third largest province, if the Commission on Elections (Comelec) "will railroad the will of the electorate."

This, as the Comelec’s first division, composed of Commissioners Rufino Javier, Manuel Garcillano and Resurreccion Borra, ordered the provincial board of canvassers to suspend the proclamation of former broadcaster Grace Padaca as duly elected governor. Borra dissented.

The poll body issued the two-page order at about 8 p.m. Saturday just when the board was making preparations for Padaca’s proclamation.

The board, chaired by lawyer Emmanuel Ignacio, got a copy of the order by facsimile through Comelec regional director Hilario Sagun.

The Comelec’s first division acted on a petition filed by re-electionist Gov. Faustino Dy Jr., who has trailed behind Padaca in the provincial canvassing.

Dy has sought the disqualification of Padaca, a polio victim who walks in crutches, for "acts of terrorism to enhance her candidacy."

Borra said the haste in issuing the order was due to the "controversial status" of the Isabela gubernatorial race.

But he said terrorism is not a "ground for protest," adding, "I don’t think that is the proper ground to suspend a proclamation."

"She (Padaca) is allegedly being supported by the NPA," Borra said.

But he said there is a difference between being supported by "terrorists" and being involved in terrorism.

"That will come out in the investigation," he said. The restraining order has a maximum effectivity of 20 days.

Borra and Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. advised Padaca to elevate her case to the Comelec en banc.

"We are very disappointed with the order, but we have to follow legal procedures," said Utleg, one of the convenors of the multisectoral Isabela United Opposition which had thrown its support behind Padaca’s candidacy.

While waiting for the Comelec’s final action, Utleg appealed to the supporters of both Padaca and Dy to stay calm.

But the bishop cautioned that there would be chaos in this province if the Comelec would go against the choice of Isabelinos.

For her part, Padaca, in a statement furnished The STAR, questioned the order of the Comelec’s first division.

"Commissioners Javier and Garcillano’s highly irregular act should be exposed for, if not, the fight for the freedom of Isabela from the tentacles of the Dys will have to become a legal battle that may drag on," she said.

The provincial board of canvassers has finished tallying the certificates of canvass (COCs) from Isabela’s 35 towns and one city (Cauayan), but excluded the figures from six towns whose COCs were questioned by both camps.

The six towns are Angadanan, Cabatuan, Cordon, Ilagan, San Mariano and San Agustin.

Excluding the six COCs, however, Padaca was ahead by 29,473 votes — she got 165,398 votes versus Dy’s 135,925.

Dy’s lawyers have questioned the COCs from Cabatuan, Ilagan, Angadanan and San Mariano, claiming they were prepared under duress.

Padaca’s counsels, on the other hand, have sought the exclusion of the COCs from San Agustin and Cordon towns due to alleged substitution of votes intended for her. — With Jose Aravilla