Former Estrada spokesman snubs peace covenant

COTABATO CITY – The former spokesman of deposed President Joseph Estrada and his wife ignored yesterday’s signing of a peace covenant by candidates for local positions here to ensure a peaceful election in May.

Opposition stalwart Didagen Dilangalen, a candidate for the congressional seat of Shariff Kabunsuan, and wife Bai Sendig, who is running for mayor here, both failed to appear at the venue of the signing of the covenant, organized by the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the city police and the Army’s 6th Infantry Division.

The long-time political enemies of the couple, re-electionist Mayor Muslimin Sema, and wife Bai Sandra, also a candidate for the lone congressional seat of Shariff Kabunsuan, were among the first to affix their signatures to the peace agreement, which enjoins all candidates for local positions to abide by the Omnibus Election Code in the May 14 elections.

"If I am required to sign the covenant with my blood, I will do it without hesitation just to show that I am for peaceful, clean and orderly elections in the city," Sema said.

Sema, who belong to the Lakas-Christian, Muslim Democrats, declined to comment when asked to say something about the absence of Dilangalen and his wife during the symbolic forging of the covenant at a restaurant here.

The city’s election officer, Arlan Mangelen, said the Dilangalens were invited to the event, which was also participated in by other candidates for city mayor, among them Estrellita Juliano, whose bid for the city’s mayoral post is backed by former President Estrada.

Sema beat Juliano in the 2004 elections, while Sema’s wife was defeated by Dilangalen, a stalwart of the Partido ng Masang Pilipino, during the 2004 race for the congressional seat of the former first district of Maguindanao. Its towns now comprise the chartered Shariff Kabunsuan province.