CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – “A thoroughly political province.”
Commented Atty Lydia V. Florentino-Pangilinan, provincial election supervisor IV, of the “relatively large number” of candidates in the barangay elections in Pampanga.
The Commission on Elections listed1,376 candidates for barangay chairmen and 11,241 for barangay councilmen in the 505 barangays of Pampanga. The number did not include those in Angeles City which is politically independent from the province.
For its 33 barangays, the city has 110 candidates for barangay chairmen and 1,008 for members of barangay councils. Mexico with 43 barangays registered the highest number of candidates – 125 for barangay chairmen and 1,027 for kagawad.
Hitting the century mark too with candidates for village chiefs are Lubao with 112; Arayat with 110; and Guagua with 103. Arayat is also second to Mexico in the number of candidates for kagawad with 980, followed by Lubao with 893, and the City of San Fernando with 877.
The capital city has 96 candidates contesting its 35 barangays. With the least number of barangays – seven – Sto. Tomas town has the least number of candidates – 20 for barangay chairmen and 187 for kagawad.
Pampanga has 1,121,693 registered voters and 493 polling centers. Tension At Tuesday’s meeting of the Provincial Peace and Order Council, Gov. Lilia G. Pineda reiterated her appeal to all candidates to refrain from mudslinging and name-calling so as not to exacerbate what is expected to be a “tense situation.”
This, even as she enjoined the police and military to “work their upmost best to maintain peace and orderliness in the voting process and effect clean and honest elections.” Pineda assured the law enforcers of logistical support from the Capitol.
In his briefing, Senior Supt. Oscar Albayalde, Pampanga police director, identified 62 barangays as “areas of concern” and two — San Agustin Sur, Arayat and San Nicolas 2nd, Magalang – as “areas of immediate concern” on account of violent poll-related incidents in the past election.
Albayalde said two or more uniformed personnel deployed in each voting center make the ideal arrangement to ensure security. Col. Henry Sabarre, commander of the 703rd Brigade of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said Army and Air Force troopers will provide the augmentation force to help secure polling centers.
