In Bohol Comelec puts 7 towns under poll’s watchlist

TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines – After the implementation of the gun ban at the start of the election period, the Commission on Election-Bohol office deemed seven towns under the election watchlist areas, or EWA.

Six of these towns, under EWA, are in the second district: Buenavista, Danao, Clarin, Inabanga and Ubay. Added are Pilar town in the 3rd district and Cortes in the first district.

The Comelec, in its report with the provincial police, said the factors considered in placing these towns under EWA are election-related violence in the past, the presence of armed groups, unlicensed firearms and recent crimes.

However, the Comelec has yet to decide whether to include on EWA those areas considered influenced by the communist rebels who had reportedly been imposing fees in exchange for a permit to campaign.

Some quarters said Comelec should also consider placing some towns on EWA where, even before the campaign period started, there had been intense word war in the air lanes or radio programs, a situation that they said could likely spawn intense political rivalry and worse, poll-related violence.

The deaths of suspected guns-for-hire, Renato Petalcorin and Daniel Calape, during a shootout with the police in Inabanga town recently were not yet ascertained if these had links to politicians.

Police said the group of Petalcorin and Calape may have just acted on as plain gun-for-hire. The two were reportedly residents of Barangay Baogo in Inabanga.

Police also could not say yet if the group of Petalcorin had links with the group of Tomas Vistal, who has been allegedly operating in Inabanga, Buenavista and Clarin towns.

Senior Superintendent Dennis Agustin, director of the Bohol Police Provincial Office, said the Vistal group was liable for the murder of Barangay Councilman Randolf Jumamoy on May 16, 2013 at Barangay Ilaud in Inabanga, as well as for other killings in the past elections.

Warrants of arrest against the members of the Vistal group are still pending to this day, said Agustin.

Also, the Suello group reportedly led by a certain Darion Suello, has been operating in the towns of Buenavista, Danao, Getafe and Talibon. It has been responsible for the killing of Senior Police Officer 2 Noel Romagos in Danao, and like the Vistal group, Suello and his men have pending arrest warrants, police said.

It will be recalled that in Inabanga town, suspected guns-for-hire confessed, after their arrest, that they were responsible for the series of killings there and that all of these were politically-motivated.

Police report said the suspect, Jonathan Amancio Ohendras, 29, in his affidavit revealed that “he has personal knowledge of Tomas Vistal, Eti Melencion, Albert Abanda and Renato Petalcorin.

These people, he alleged, perpetrated the killings of SPO1 Heminigildo Abella, Councilman Jumamoy, the Duavis father-and-son, and Eufemio Ohina, former barangay chairman of Maria Rosario in Inabanga. (FREEMAN)