Vizcaya mayor charges bishop, 4 priests for electioneering

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya — A mayor of an inner town here filed electioneering charges against influential members of the Catholic Church led by Bayombong Bishop Ramon Villena in connection with the recently-concluded special elections.

Aside from Villena, Dupax Del Norte town mayor Isaias Almuete also named Fathers Tony Palina (Bayombong parish), Neal Blanco (Bayombong parish), Vicente Tiam (Solano parish), Ferdinand Lopez (Dupax Del Norte parish) and four others including the members of the municipal board of canvassers of the town in his electioneering case.

The 15-page petition filed by Almuete with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) last week, accused Villena and his minions of excessive political interference during the conduct of the special polls in Barangay Binwangan in Dupax Del Norte last May 29.

In his affidavit attached to the petition filed at the Comelec central office, Almuete claimed that the bishop, who was in the voting precincts during the special polls in Barangay Binwangan, worked hard for his defeat by influencing the residents to vote for his rival , Vice Mayor Jesus Bareng.

Villena, high-ranking member of the equally influential Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, denied Almuete’s allegations, saying that they were in the voting area merely as members of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) and National Citizens Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel).

Villena further claimed that his presence in the area was warranted by his being the PPCRV regional chairman and member of the Namfrel’s board of trustees.

"I was there to safeguard and defend the rights and will of the people. I will do it even if it costs me my life," he said, alluding that the Almuete camp was the one responsible for the ballot snatching that precipitated the conduct of the special polls.

The Almuete camp vehemently denied the allegations. Instead they accused their political rivals, whom he claimed Villena had supported during the campaign to be behind the incident.

The Binwangan special poll was held after the Comelec declared failure of elections in the village following the snatching of three ballot boxes in the area by still unidentified men while these were about to be transported to the poblacion for the municipal canvassing on the night of May 10.

Before the special polls, Almuete was leading with 17 votes over Bareng for the mayoralty post. However, Bareng, who Almuete claimed was supported by the Church, overtook him by more than 200 votes after the said poll.