All's set for Cagayan special poll today

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya  ,Philippines – It’s all systems go for today’s special congressional poll in Cagayan’s second district.

“We anticipate a smooth conduct of the election. Everything is ready. Our police are now on guard to prevent any election-related violence to take place,” said lawyer Catherine Allas, Cagayan provincial election supervisor.

Allas said there have been reports of vote buying but said her office has yet to receive any formal complaints about it.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Armando Velasco, according to Allas, would personally monitor today’s special election to ensure there would be no hitches in the balloting and counting of votes.

“We expect that we would already be proclaiming the winning candidate by Sunday,” Allas said, adding that the voting starts at 7 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m. with the counting beginning immediately after.

The second district, which has 154,692 registered voters, comprises the towns of Lasam, Abulug, Allacapan, Ballesteros, Claveria, Pamplona, Piat, Rizal, Sanchez Mira, Santa Praxedes, Santo Niño, and Calayan.

Based on an earlier Comelec resolution, the official 13-day campaign ended Thursday. The election period kicked off last Feb. 10 and ends on March 22.

Cagayan’s second district post, which has been vacant following the death of Rep. Florencio Vargas in June last year or a week before the opening of the present Congress, is being contested by former governor Edgar Lara and Vargas’ daughter, Abulug town Vice Mayor Baby Aline Alfonso.

Lara, himself the second district’s former three-term congressman before being elected governor for two terms, is the official candidate of President Aquino’s Liberal Party.

On the other hand, Alfonso, also a former three-term mayor of Abulug town, is running under the Lakas-Kampi-CMD banner.

Local observers see a tight race between the two, with Lara relying on the support of the LP, the administration party.

Alfonso, for his part, is banking on the local political machinery of the Team Cagayan coalition headed by Gov. Alvaro Antonio and first district Rep. Juan “Jack” Ponce Enrile Jr.

Earlier, Enrile, son of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, said their camp is committed to support Alfonso, whose political party is part of the Team Cagayan coalition.

“As I have been advocating, this is a fight between qualifications and money politics. If it’s for qualification and experience I would surely make it. If it’s for money, I will surely lose. We trust our constituents to go for experience,” Lara said.

“Our campaign so far is very encouraging. We feel our constituents want to continue the development efforts and vision of my father. In fact, all those who supported my father are still behind us. Even those not with us before are now with us,” Alfonso said.

Meanwhile, a barangay chairman and two others were nabbed in Pamplona town Wednesday for violation of the Comelec special firearms ban, which has been in effect since Feb. 10.

Arrested were Michael Torino, 41, chairman of Pamplona town’s Bagu village, and his two companions, a certain Jomer Layugan, 29, and Ener Omnes, 27.

“They were chanced upon in Pamplona town while our men were conducting security patrol in connection with the special election,” said Senior Superintendent Mao Aplasca, Cagayan police director.

Seized from Torino’s group were an M-16 A1 rifle with 29 bullets, a Taurus 9-mm pistol with three magazines containing 27 bullets, and an improvised shotgun with three bullets. – With Raymund Catindig