Comelec asked to disqualify former Masbate jail warden

MANILA, Philippines - The Zenarosa Commission has asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to disqualify a mayoral candidate in San Pascual, Masbate for violating the election gun ban.

The commission, chaired by Justice Monina Arevalo-Zenarosa, sought the disqualification of former Masbate provincial jail warden Richard Bulanon as mayoral bet in San Pascual town after he was arrested for violating the Comelec gun ban.

In a letter to Comelec Chairman Jose Melo last April 26, Zenarosa cited validated reports obtained by the commission, which “indicate that he has indeed been involved in releasing detained prisoners from jail, without authority, so that they may be used in criminal activity, including in the commission of election offenses.” 

Bulanon was arrested last Jan. 10 in a Comelec checkpoint in Barangay Tugbo, Masbate City, the commission said.

Under the law, police, military and government personnel are deemed resigned from their posts upon the filing of their certificates of candidacy, thus making Bulanon a civilian who is not exempted from the gun ban.

In another development, Masbate Gov. Elisa Kho surrendered yesterday 24 assorted firearms to the local military and police in a peace and order council meeting held in Pili, Camarines Sur.

Maj. Harold Cabunoc, spokesman of the Army’s 9th Infantry Division, said Kho turned over two M60 general purpose machineguns, 12 M-16 rifles, a 40-mm M203 grenade launcher, an M1 Garand, three 9-mm KG9 sub-machineguns and five caliber .45 M1911A1 pistols.

Meanwhile, the commission endorsed the approval of the rotation of provincial police directors in Region 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula) and the transfer and removal of the police chief of Porac, Pampanga to deter them from being involved in partisan political activities.

The commission, tasked to dismantle private armies, identified the police officials as Senior Superintendents Cristeto Gonzalodo of Zamboanga del Norte, Ramon Ochotorena of Zamboanga del Sur, and Abel Lingat of Porac town.         – With Alexis Romero