Ex-Barangay Captain Posong de Jesus. Photo by Ric Gonzales
BACOLOR, Pampanga – FormerCabetican Barangay Captain Ildefonso “Posong” De Jesus on Friday denounced the alleged existence of flying voters in their village and appealed for an honest and fair local election next year.
In an interview at his restaurant, De Jesus disclosed that he had submitted a list of suspected flying voters to Vice Mayor Ananias “Jun” Canlas who is now investigating the reported existence of 7,000 illegal registrants, more than half of which were allegedly included in the 2010 voters’ list.
He added that he will not divulge to Punto the names on thelist because “it is still under probe and we don’t want to pre-empt it.”
“What happened to Bacolor? We used to be competitive and aggressive in politics but we maintained a sense of decency,” said De Jesus, who said the list contains names of people who are living in nearby San Miguel Betis in Guagua town.
“Our mayor Ron lost in 2010 and we suspected something unfair. What we want in 2013 is a fair fight,” said De Jesus, referring to Ron Earvin Dungca, eldest son of former three-term mayor Romeo “Buddy”Dungca.
The younger Dungca lost to Mayor Jose Maria “Jomar” Hizon by at least 3,200 votes.
De Jesus said “all of Bacolor” knows we are a supporter of Dungca who had many projects in Cabetican during his term as mayor.
“But regardless of political preference, the people of Cabetican should fight for the truth and their rights as voters,” he added.
Cabetican barangay chief Eva David, who was interviewed also on Friday as she tried but failed to help register a new set of voters from her village, said she was asked to produce more documents, including tax mapping, to justify the inclusion of such persons as residents of her barangay.
David said these would-be voters are living in an area that is known to be part of Guagua but which, she later found out, is still within Cabetican.
Cabetican’s land area stretches on both sides of the Pasig-Potreroriver. The portion where it meets with San Miguel Betis is located at least 600 meters from the edge of the dike that separates Bacolor from Guagua.
David, a Hizon ally who defeated De Jesus in the last barangay elections, refused to tell reporters how many she had tried to register at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) municipal office. She however stressed that they will adhere to Comelec rules pertaining to voter registration.
Asked by media for his comments last Sunday, Hizon has yet to give statements to Punto as of press time.
He earlier said that “old tactics” had been employed by his political rivals after the alleged flying voters were exposed on July 29 by Canlas and mayoralty bet Engr. Ferdinand Labung, who ran in tandem in 2010.
In an earlier press conference at the City of San Fernando, Canlas and Labung exposed the questionable voters’ list and asked Hizon to join in the investigation.
Canlas said he was given by the Comelec en banc a copy of the list under question.
Streamers warning against flying voters hang around the town. One is posted on the wall of the municipal hall in barangay Cabambangan.
“Pulitikang palpak, botanteng mikipakpak, king baculud ali karapatdapat (ineffective politics and voters with wings are not welcome in Bacolor,” ran the text messages sent to this reporter and Bacolor officials and residents.
