29 days to E-Day: Pacquiao fails to overshadow political circus

Filipino boxing champ Manny Pacquiao might have already lost out to some politicians in Manila Sunday or 29 days to Election Day. Several sports complexes offering to show the Pacquiao-Solis bout for free turned into impromptu political rally sites as some local bets took the opportunity to campaign there Sunday. Radio DZBB reported that at the Del Pan Sports Complex in Tondo, posters of some candidates were plastered all over the site, with the candidates' supporters wearing vests and campaign materials campaigning to the "captive audience." It was not immediately clear if the candidates themselves were there to make personal appearances at the sites, which also include the Rizal Baseball Coliseum, Ninoy Aquino Stadium, and the Tondo Sports Complex. Masbate placed under Comelec control Police and Army units in Masbate have been placed under the control of the Commission on Elections in an effort to stabilize the peace and order situation in the province, a poll official said Sunday. Armand Ricarte said the move was based on an en banc resolution passed by the Comelec. "Under the new set up Comelec will have supervision and control over police and army personnel and no troop movement could be made without the knowledge of the Comelec," he said. We want to know what are the security plans these agencies had initiated for the province to ensure an orderly and peaceful elections, he said. But Ricarte explained that the set up was different from the concept of putting the entire Masbate under Comelec control as requested by local church officials. Comelec control The election supervisor said that placing Masbate under Comelec control would mean that the Comelec commissioner to be assigned in the province would be the acting governor. The commissioner would have a say in running the province as well as all the law enforcement agencies in the province, he said. But Ricarte said the present situation does not require such action yet saying the election-related incidents that had occurred could not yet be considered as a threat to the conduct of the elections. He said that only those areas where there is a real and imminent threat to the peace and order situation in such a way that there could be failure of election are put under Comelec control. NPA is the real threat Ricarte said only the New People's Army has the capacity and capability of disrupting the elections in the province in a wide scale. But this problem is now being addressed by the Army and the special units of the PNP, he said. Ricarte said he was opposed to the request of the Catholic church in Masbate to put the province under Comelec control since it was not needed yet. "Let the law enforcement agencies work on the problem first as these incidents could still be remedied," he urged those who advocated for the control. PAGs incapable of disrupting election Ricarte said the private armed groups allegedly being maintained by local politicians were not capable of causing a failure of election. "At best, these PAGs could only mount attacks on particular targets but could not cause a failure of elections, he stressed. Ricarte said almost all politicians in Masbate have armed supporters whom they could mobilize if necessary. Well-planned security measures The election supervisor said that one way of ensuring the orderly conduct of the elections was to ensure a well-planned security measure for election officials, the candidates and at the polling precincts. Ricarte said the police must provide all election registrars and candidates in the province with sufficient security personnel to ensure that they don't feel vulnerable. That would mean providing them with seven to eight security men each, he said. “Last 2004 election, the police provided very limited security to election personnel as they (the police) required us P50, 000 for a complete security detail for each election registrar," Ricarte said. 'Let us do our job first' Senior Supt. Edgar Layon, Masbate police provincial director, also opposed the idea of placing the province under control. "Let us do our work first, and please cooperate with us as this is for the good of the Masbate, " he urged all sectors in the province. The police, Comelec and the army would have its first coordination meeting on April to discuss various concerns and to map out security measures, Layon said. More troops to Abra, Masbate The military has deployed additional troops to the provinces of Abra and Masbate to prevent the New People’s Army from launching attacks to disrupt the May 14 elections. Armed Forces chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said Sunday two companies of Army soldiers (around 240 men) arrived in Masbate about a week ago. “In Abra, we have a battalion (500 men) plus our recon (reconnaissance) company," he said. There have been increased rebel activities in the two provinces for the past weeks, including the April 3 raid of mining company in Aroroy town in Masbate where the rebels burned five buildings and heavy equipment. The rebels also ambushed a group of policemen dispatched to Filminera Resources Corp., killing three of them. Government troops conducted pursuit operations against the rebels since then. In Abra, two soldiers died and four others were injured when they were waylaid by the rebels in Lacub town last Good Friday. A week earlier, government soldiers seized the rebels’ main camp also in the town. “We have already deployed additional troops to Masbate, we deployed additional troops to Abra as it very clear that the New People’s Army in these areas have been committing violent actions," said Esperon. Worse, Esperon said the military is suspecting that some NPA rebels are securing some candidates in the two provinces. “We even suspect that they become bodyguards…We suspect they are acting as bodyguards or acting on behalf of some (candidates)," he said. Esperon said the role being played by the military in the upcoming elections is limited to setting up of checkpoints for the purpose of enforcing the election gun ban and conduct of internal security operations. Esperon is confident that the role that would be played by the military establishment in the elections would be able to “prevent armed groups from carrying out their plans in connection with the elections." “We hope that by continuing with our (internal security) operations we will be able to prevent any armed incidents perpetrated by the New Peoples Army," said Esperon of the rebel group, which the military is eyeing to cripple by 2010. Defense and election officials have forged a Memorandum of Agreement limiting the role of the soldiers in elections. The military would be tapped to perform election-related duties in areas where there are serious armed threats. There have been still no words from the Commission on Elections whether to deputize the military in certain areas. But Esperon said: “If we get deputized, that is well within the powers of the Commission on Elections." “After all, as provided for in our Memorandum of Agreement with the Comelec, should there be a strong armed threat as determined…we can be deputized to deploy troops to quell armed threats," said Esperon. Comelec eyes 4 Kalinga towns as hotspot areas Citing the track record of poll-related violence there, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is eyeing at least four towns in Kalinga province as poll hotspots. Sun-Star Baguio reported Sunday that the Comelec is due to come out with its decision soon in the cases of Pinukpuk, Pasil, Lubuagan and Tanudan. Provincial election officer Thomas Uyam said there had been reports of ballot-snatching and threats in the four towns during the local elections in 2004. Asked whether Tabuk would be included in the list due to the recent killing of gubernatorial candidate and incumbent Vice Gov. Rommel Diasen, he said it is "a possibility." He said the murder of Diasen last Holy Week is "already a manifestation that there is the presence of armed threat in the locality." Uyam said areas of immediate concern involve manifestations of armed threats like the presence of loose firearms, insurgency, coercion or ballot snatching. He said the Philippine National Police could likewise recommend a place as an immediate area of concern if there are armed threats and the PNP needs to augment its forces. Meanwhile, Comelec Commissioner Resurreccion Borra said the commissioners and other field officers would conduct field visits in areas that may be placed under Comelec control. These include Puerto Princesa City in Palawan province, where a poll official was murdered during the Holy Week. Borra said the Comelec may also augment military forces stationed in Kalinga and Puerto Princesa City following said incidents. Ex-Comelec chief urges party-list law review The former chairman of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) urged for the review of the party-list law, which he said was “bastardized" because the poll body accredited many party-list groups that allegedly do not represent the interest of marginalized groups. Former Comelec chairman Christian Monsod said on Sunday that Republic Act 7941 has to be revisited to ensure that elections will not be used by special interest groups. “I think it's been bastardized. So I think it's time to go back and review it all over, Monsod said. He said the party-list system “has gotten a bit out of control" because of the proliferation of groups that do not genuinely represent marginalized groups. “And that's way it is important to go back to the fundamentals and say why was the party list set up in the first place and why should every group that said its marginalized be registered as a party-list," Monsod said. Monsod said unless flaws in the party-list system are corrected, the Comelec would be swamped by numerous groups that are unqualified to become party-list organizations. “You'll always have people who will take a chance although they know they have very little [chances]. It's a matter of what's your real constituency," he said. He said there are more than 90 party-list groups accredited by the Comelec to join the May 14 midterm elections. Asked if it was possible that accreditation of party-lists are being sold at the Comelec, Monsod said: “I think that may be happening. And that has to be looked into by the Comelec very seriously." It was earlier reported that there were groups that allegedly paid P 7 million each in exchange for Comelec party-list accreditation. Akbayan Rep. Loretta Anne Rosales, earlier urged the poll body to disqualify at least 11 party list groups believed to be backed by the Arroyo government. Among the party list groups which Rosales tagged as front-organizations of the Arroyo administration are Babae Ka, Ang Kasangga, Akbay Pinoy, Aksyon Sambayanan (Aksa), Agbiag! Timpuyog Ilocano Inc., Ahon Pinoy, Biyaheng Pinoy, Aangat Tayo, Aangat ang Kabuhayan (Anak), Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy (Anad), Banat and Kakusa. - GMANews.TV