Comelec control over Quirino province urged

The Catholic Church urged the Commission on Elections yesterday to place the entire province of Quirino under its control after the camps of ‘comebacking’ Rep. Junie Cua and gubernatorial candidate Dante Valencia were reportedly girding for a showdown.

The two camps have charged each other with harassment and vote-buying.

Upon the request of Bishop Ramon Villena, whose diocese covers Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino, Director Thompson Lantion, head of the Philippine National Police (PNP) directorate for police-community relations, ordered the augmentation of police and Army personnel.

Villena also sought the transfer of the provincial election supervisor "for incompetence and neglect of duty," that abetted the simmering tension between the two political camps.

Meanwhile, reelectionist Mayor Zenaida Doria of Mayorga town in Leyte was abducted by heavily armed men on the night of the recently concluded elections.

The Eastern Visayas Regional Election Monitoring and Action Center (REMAC) officially confirmed yesterday the abduction of the 58-year-old lady mayor, just as the PNP commands of Leyte and Southern Leyte launched an island-wide manhunt and rescue operation.

Doria is running for her third and last term as the official candidate of the opposition Nationalist People’s Coalition. Her re-election bid is being opposed by a twice- elected town councilor, 27-year-old Valente "Eboy" Adolfo of Lakas-NUCD-PPC.

PNP Deputy Director for Administration Hermogenes Ebdane flew to Tacloban City yesterday morning and held a close door conference with Regional Director Chief Superintendent Nardito Yoro and other ranking police officials, to discuss the abduction of Doria.

Doria, according to her husband Anastacio, was going to Barangay Camansi, some five kilometers away from the Poblacion, when she was abducted by at least five heavily armed men wearing ski-masks.

Anastacio told The STAR that his family is willing to negotiate with the abductors of his wife.

Meanwhile, a supporter of Leyte 4th district congressional candidate Eufrocino Codilla Sr., was killed while another was seriously wounded and one is still missing after they were shot in Barangay Lamanok in Merida, Leyte on May 14.

Oscar Pepito was shot pointblank in the temple allegedly by a certain Allan Concillado.

Pepito was on board a car with Eddie Codilla, Simeon Sanchez, Ramoncito Codilla, a certain William and two still unidentified companions when they were attacked by the lone gunman at around 5 p.m. on the election day.

Ramoncito Codilla is still missing, while William suffered several gunshot wounds and is in a critical condition.

In a related development, Caraga Police Regional Director Alberto Rama Olario told The STAR that three persons were killed on the eve of election day while there was an ambush attempt on a councilor of Sibagat, Agusan del Sur.

Councilor Mardovic Benigian escaped death in an ambush attempt by undetermined number of unidentified gunmen while on his way home aboard his motorcycle along national highway in Barangay El Rio, Sibagat, Agusan del Sur on the eve of May 13.

In Sta. Rosa, Nueva Ecija, an estimated 2,000 supporters of Lakas-NUCD-Kampo mayoral candidate Tony Romero stormed the municipal hall yesterday to press the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to stop the canvassing of votes amid charges of terrorism, ballot snatching and harassment reportedly perpetrated by followers of Marlon Marcelo of the opposition Bagong Lakas ng Nueva Ecija (Balane).

The rallyists stood vigil over the municipal compound as the municipal board of canvassers started the canvass at the second floor of the town hall. A whole contingent of military and police was deployed in the area amid heightened tension between the camps of Romero and Marcelo.

Romero claimed that irregularities marred the elections in roughly 80 percent of the precincts in the whole town. — With Ben Serrano, Manny Galvez