While waiting for his official proclamation as re-elected governor of Iloilo province, Gov. Niel Tupas found himself stymied. The People’s Graftwatch Inc. of Iloilo (PGII) moved to suspend the canvassing and proclamation of the governor.
Graftwatch legal counsel Virgilio Sindico wants the two graft cases against Tupas to be resolved by the Office of the Ombudsman.
That echoed an earlier disqualification case filed against the Iloilo governor by Vice Gov. Roberto (Obet) Armada before the elections. That, plus the two others filed by Sindico will have to be resolved by the Comelec.
Provincial election supervisor Elizabeth Doronila disclosed that as of Tuesday evening, the certificates of canvass of the towns of Maasin, Ajuy, Carles, Dumangas, Barotac Viejo, and Sara were still to be counted.
But that did not meet head-on the Sindico petition filed through the provincial board of canvassers chaired by Doronila.
She merely said a candidate can be proclaimed provided that it would no longer be possible for the uncounted votes from the uncanvassed returns to overturn the votes already counted in the candidate’s favor.
Tupas, as of Sunday noon, received 338,001 votes against Armada’s 170,324.
While Tupas’ proclamation is pending, the Comelec on Saturday proclaimed re-electionist Rep. Janet Garin and Rep. Judy Syjuco (wife of TESDA Secretary Augusto Syjuco) as winners in the first and second districts, respectively.
Syjuco beat her challenger, board member Cecilia Capadosa – 60,714 votes against the latter’s 38,969.
In the case of Garin, she garnered 90,764 votes against her challenger, former Miagao Mayor Gerardo Flores’ 44,027.
In the third district, with only the election returns from Maasin still to be canvassed, Rep. Arthur Defensor was leading his re-election bid with a wide margin of 89,553 over the 21,932 votes of lawyer Zafiro Lauron.
In the fourth district, Rep. Ferjene Biron handily beat the bid of his challenger, former Dumangas mayor Rolando Distrua, with 71,843 votes against 40,592.
In Iloilo City, Mayor Jerry Treñas showed his political grip on the city’s electorate by garnering 125,371 votes against his challenger who managed to grab only 19,810.
That was considered an unprecedented victory in Iloilo City elections. “It was not unanticipated, but the margin surprised even us,” pointed out Treñas’ brother, Francis Treñas, head of the Panay Federation of Sugar Planters Associations (PANAYFED).
The city posted six GO, one independent and five Team Unity candidates in the senatorial race.
Surprisingly, re-electionist Francis Pangilinan (independent) captured first place with 94,810 votes. GO’s Francis Escudero captured second place with 91,170; Manuel Villar, third with 90,956 votes; and Loren Legarda, fourth with 85,617.
What is interesting is that Team Unity’s Michael Defensor landed only sixth with 83,158, followed by Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino with 81,460.
Edgardo Angara got 77,811 votes; Joker Arroyo, 77,347; Miguel Zubiri, 73,620; Ralph Recto, 69,412; and GO’s Panfilo Lacson, 64,357. The 12th slot went to Alan Peter Cayetano with 57,941 votes.
That’s from the administration point of view, better than the 7-4-1 for GO in Negros Occidental. There, Loren Legarda topped the 12 slots with 458,393 votes and Miguel Zubiri grabbed 426,747 for second place.
RPA-ABB commander expelled
Just as the political brickbats resumed in Bacolod City, Negrenses were stunned by the report that RPA-ABB national commander Stephen Paduano, alias Carapali Lualhati, has been relieved from his position.
RPM chairman Nilo de la Cruz confirmed to the local media that the expulsion included Veronica Tabara, alias Inca, and Ariel Sabandar, alias Suk.
De la Cruz said the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa-Pilipinas (RPM-P) expelled Lualhati from its ranks on April 18 yet and that he is no longer part of their group.
Lualhati riposted that it is De la Cruz and his cohorts who are facing several cases in connection with the cessation of hostilities in Manila. Cases have been filed against De la Cruz’s group in the regions and provinces of the country, Lualhati added.
De la Cruz, he charged, usurped the authority of the organization’s congress, which is the only body that can properly decide cases against its leaders.
Lualhati added that he will explain the details against De la Cruz and company in a press conference later.
The statement by RPA-ABB spokesman Miguel Guevara said the RPM-P condemns “in the strongest possible terms” the atrocities perpetrated by Lualhati against the people of Negros. He cited particularly “terrorizing innocent and peace-loving folk in many towns at the height of the election period.”
But even before these transgressions, Lualhati was expelled after months of careful investigation by the RPM-P of the national commander for disseminating lies and intrigues that vilify the party leadership and the whole organization.
He cited especially Lualhati’s subversion of the political will of the men, women and young people of Negros when, according to media reports, he and his men forcibly swooped down on the houses of these Negrenses and told them not to vote for a candidate who was a rival of a politician Lualhati was supporting.
It may be recalled that Lualhati had announced before the alleged intrusion by his men into several sugar farms in E.B. Magalona that he was supporting the mayoralty bid of David Lacson against E.B. Magalona Mayor Alfonso Gamboa.
“We call Carapali Lualhati’s use of force – poking guns at these Negrenses as innocent as young voters – a desperate move to save face for his extreme partisan politics to gain more favors,” Guevarra said in the statement.
In the case of Veronica Tabara, she was found guilty of grave violation of party principles, rules and processes and also for financial opportunism involving party funds and peace project-related funds.
De la Cruz’s indictment of Lualhati drew an immediate reaction from Ben Solilapsi of Alab Katipunan who said Lualhati “is in full control of the RPA-ABB nationwide.”
Solilapsi pointed out that the government fully recognizes Lualhati as the official representative of the group in the Joint Enforcement Monitoring Committee that supervises the peace talks.
He called the move black propaganda aimed at undermining the peace process. This is a development that bears careful watching.
ADDENDA. Hardly had the election fever subsided when Mayor-elect Jose “Oti Montelibano called on the Sangguniang Panglunsod to oppose the P20-million supplemental budget for Silay City. The budget, however, was passed with six voting for it, four against it and two abstaining… Bacolod City police director Ronido Qubrar warned that the two PNP officers wanted in the kidnap-slay of a barangay captain and his two companions and who shot a 20-year-old youth in Manapla town are “armed and dangerous.” Police officers Dennis Belandres and Ruel Villacanas were charged for the shooting of Ruliban Leganipar, 20, in Hacienda Bilbao, Manapla on Saturday. Police were red-faced when they learned that the two were among the policemen who went AWOL when warrants for their arrest had been issued by the Guihulngan RTC in connection with the murder and kidnapping of former Pahanoyoy barangay captain Eleuterio Salabas and his two companions.