Poll exec wanted for declaring 2 ‘mayors’

CAMP SIONGCO, Maguin—danao — The military has been tracking down for four days now a municipal election officer who separately proclaimed two mayoral candidates in a Maguindanao town — one leading in the tabulation, and the other, the re-electionist who was ranking only third in the count.

Operatives of the anti-crime Task Force Tugis, a special unit of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, have been guarding the Cotabato City residence of election officer Heidi Mamalinta, who has been at large since she proclaimed South Upi re-electionist Mayor Israel Sinsuat, who ranked only third in the tally.

Worse, two days earlier, Mamalinta also proclaimed Antonio Gunsi, who was leading in the tabulation, as mayor-elect of South Upi, in simple rites witnessed by soldiers, policemen, poll watchers and local officials.

Sources from the regional office of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said they were shocked to learn that Mamalinta also proclaimed Sinsuat after earlier declaring Gunsi the duly elected mayor.

Maj. Gen. Generoso Senga, 6th ID commander, has called on residents of South Upi to give the Comelec’s regional and central offices enough time to address the issue and to cooperate with the military in maintaining peace and order in their municipality.

Jose Concepcion, national chairman of the National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel), told Catholic radio station dxMS in Cotabato City in a mobile phone interview from the Namfrel headquarters in San Juan, Metro Manila that he is now personally helping South Upi leaders invalidate Sinsuat’s proclamation.

"(Comelec) Chairman (Benjamin) Abalos has summoned the election officer of South Upi to explain what she had done," Concepcion said.