Cari asks Comelec for troops augmentation to secure city

BAYBAY CITY, Philippines  â€“ Re-electionists Mayor Carmen Cari and son, Leyte 5th district Rep. Jose Carlos Cari, both of the Liberal Party, said they have convened the peace and order council yesterday (May 7) to request the Comelec for an augmentation force to secure the city during the May 13 elections.

The move of the Caris came after a violent incident on Monday when two of their supporters were mauled and badly hurt by supporters of the opposition party, headed by UNA mayoralty bet Malot Galenzoga.

“It’s just one of many incidents,” the congressman said, citing instances when their leaders and supporters were allegedly harassed, public property destroyed and other several acts of intimidation.

Representative Cari expressed apprehension that violence, allegedly instigated by the opposition. could escalate as May 13 draws near. He said it was quite an anathema that the administration has been the one being “harassed” by the opposition.

Galenzoga is now the first opposition to surface after several elections to challenge the ruling Cari family, and was able to put up a complete slate.

The congressman said that, last Monday morning, two of Cari supporters were badly mauled at Brgy. Balao, a remote village, while waiting for the board of election inspectors (BEI) to finish testing and sealing the PCOS machines that had just been delivered there.

The two, Lotgardo Lasaga and Rodel Montajes, were there to get the serial numbers of the PCOS because the list the Caris got from Comelec only showed 49 serial numbers of the 109 machines dispatched to the city’s 92 barangays.

One of the mauled supporters alleged that Galenzoga’s men put a tire on his chest and started jumping on it until he spit blood.

What was worse was that the opposition supporters “planted” guns on the two. Later, the version was expanded to include the claim he sent the two to “assassinate” Galenzoga, said Rep. Cari.

“I called this press conference to clear my name”, said Rep. Cari, saying that a few minutes after his men were booked at the police station, the incident was posted on the group’s FB account “Kapihan sa Baybay” and aired on Radio Natin by afternoon.

“We are not killers”, he said. “We have been in politics for many years … survived more serious battles than this but those allegations never crossed our minds. Our family respects the dignity of life and respects other people,” said the congressman.

Representative Cari lamented that Lasaga and Montajes were “innocent victims and just simple folks.” One of them was a pedicab driver, while the other was a farmer whose only misfortune was their being among the trusted supporters of the Caris. “These people do not even know how to use guns,” he said.

The recent incident was Galenzoga’s “desperate attempt to generate sympathy” from the public considering her dismal showing in the surveys. “They (Galenzoga camp) are trying to put us in a bad light,” and maybe it was a ploy to distract him from the campaign trail, said the congressman.

Meanwhile, Caris’ lawyer Avito Cahig Jr., said they already filed complaints against the alleged maulers, identified as Sonny Bechayda, Elina Lorenzo and Rex Llagas and several John Does. The three were the ones who turned over Lasaga and Montajes to the police, including the alleged guns, a camera, and motorcycle.

Among the Caris’ witnesses was Mercedes Yap, barangay chairman of Balao, who swore that when she tried to rescue the two from the mauling, she did not see any gun from them.

Cahig and Vice Governor Florante Cayunda Jr., who was also present in the press conference, also said that the “assassination” angle was just an “afterthought” of the fertile imaginations of Galenzoga’s spin-masters.

Meanwhile, Mayor Cari said she was confident of being reelected as she has been leading in all the surveys “80 to 20.”  (FREEMAN)