Nograles, Duterte seek Comelec control for Davao City

MANILA, Philippines - Speaker Prospero Nograles pleaded with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday to place Davao City under its control.

He made the appeal in the wake of what he described as escalating violence in the city, where he is running for mayor.

Nograles said the latest case of violence involved the abduction and killing of two supporters of the party-list group Bantay, which is headed by retired major general and Rep. Jovito Palparan.

He described Palparan as a “staunch critic” of Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

Before the death of the two Bantay supporters, armed men robbed two campaigners of Nograles.        

Like the Speaker, Duterte is calling on the Comelec to place the city under its control.

Bantay and its ally, Anad (Alliance for National Democracy), have linked the mayor to the abduction and death of Palparan’s supporters.

Duterte denied the accusation, saying that if he were to abduct people associated with the two party-list groups that are critical of him, it would be their representatives in Congress, Palparan and Pastor Alcover of Anad.

The two party-list representatives have campaigned in Davao City and criticized the mayor for his alleged links with the communist movement, which is active in certain parts of the city.

At the same time, Nograles, who is running against Duterte’s daughter Sara, the incumbent vice mayor, asked the Comelec and local police authorities to strictly enforce the ban on the carrying of firearms.

He said local officials and goons roam the city brandishing firearms, while New People’s Army rebels terrorize residents and campaign volunteers in remote villages.

The rebels also demand protection money and threaten those who do not oblige.

“The Comelec and the concerned authorities seem to be turning a blind eye,” he said.

“How long will the Comelec have to wait before taking action? How many more people would have to die before the Comelec will realize that there are very dangerous people in Davao City who think they are above the law?” he asked.

Nograles also chided the Comelec for not taking action on the reported presence of thousands of multiple and dead registrants in the voters’ list for Davao City and Davao del Sur.

He said although the poll body has promised to manually cross out the registrants’ names, it has not done so until now.

“Elections will be a farce if the Comelec refuses to clean up the voters’ list of dead men walking and fake voters. They will all be liable for impeachment in the present or next Congress,” he said.   – With Edith Regalado