Tension reigns in Cotabato City as election body unseats mayor

COTABATO CITY — A joint police and military contingent, backed by armored vehicles, now tightly guards City Hall to maintain peace and order amid tension over Tuesday’s unseating of the mayor.

The Commission on Elections, after almost three years of deliberations, declared that it was Engineer Rodel Mañara, not Muslimin Sema, who won the 1998 mayoral race.

Sema, who is now taking part in the Islamic Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, is the secretary-general of the Moro National Liberation Front.

Local police and military personnel have cordoned City Hall, anticipating possible outbreak of violence between supporters of Sema and Mañara.

Presidential Assistant for Mindanao Jesus Dureza is helping defuse the tension, calling on Sema and Mañara to resolve the crisis peacefully and allow higher authorities to rule on the controversy.

"I think both camps will not embark on anything drastic in addressing the issue because both of them are now candidates for the same post," Dureza said.

Mañara said in an interview over Catholic radio station dxMS yesterday, that he will certainly assume the mayoral post, urging his followers to be vigilant amid fears that a "third force" might take advantage of the friction between him and Sema.