Antipolo, 2 Rizal towns tagged as poll ‘hot spots’

Police tagged Antipolo City and two municipalities in Rizal as poll "hot spots" yesterday because of election-related incidents and the bitter rivalry among candidates in these areas.

Senior Superintendent Leocadio Santiago, Rizal police director, said he recommended that Antipolo City and the towns of Baras and Jala-Jala be placed under the control of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in tomorrow’s general elections.

"The local positions are hotly contested in these three areas. There’s a need for them to be put under Comelec control so additional forces can be deployed there to prevent violent confrontations among candidates and their supporters," he said.

Santiago said Baras became a "hot spot" after one of its mayoral candidates, Ulysses Olano, 46, was abducted by four ski mask-wearing armed men last Thursday.

Police have invited four witnesses, who were with Olano when he was snatched, to shed light on the incident.

"We are facing a blank wall in Olano’s abduction," Santiago said. "We are now in the process of questioning the four witnesses to get some positive leads that may help us crack the case."

On reports that the kidnappers grabbed Olano’s bag containing P700,000 in campaign funds, Santiago said he would ask Rizal second district Rep. Jun Rodriguez to confirm this.

The money, police said, was Rodriguez’s contribution to Olano’s campaign kitty. Rodriguez is seeking re-election under the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP).

Olano, who belongs to the Liberal Party, is pitted against incumbent Mayor Dindo Graciano, of Lakas-CMD, and a certain Robles of the KNP.

A latest survey showed Olano ranking third in the mayoral race.

In Antipolo City, incumbent Mayor Angelito Gatlabayan, of Lakas-CMD, is being challenged by Susan Say of the KNP.

Gatlabayan’s wife, Josefina, also of Lakas-CMD, is running for Congress in the province’s first district. She is being opposed by former Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronnie Puno of the KNP.

Santiago said the Gatlabayan couple and their opponents have been exchanging barbs in the past days.

In Jala-Jala town, it’s a close fight between Miguel Pilas of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) and a certain De la Cruz of the Lakas-CMD.

The tense political rivalry between Pilas and De la Cruz and their supporters prompted Santiago to include Jala-Jala in the police list of election "hot spots."