Widespread Vote-Buying in Negros Reported

The election scene in Negros proved no different from that of the past and in other parts of the country. Money for vote-buying poured like water in a falls. Voters were fetched, provided food and given money ranging from P200 to P1,000. There were also goons to ensure that voters would put the “right” names in their ballots.

BY KARL G. OMBION
Bulatlat.com

BACOLOD CITY -- Worst election. This is the opinion of many local political observers in Negros.

Complaints deluged the offices of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the hotline centers of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), regarding missing master lists, reshuffled precincts, delayed opening of poll centers, and the presence of local government officials, bets and unidentified armed men within the restricted areas.

Independent media sources estimate that as many as 25-35 percent of Negros’ voters were disenfranchised because of the confusion and inefficiency. There were even towns and cities where voter turnout was minimal due to these reasons. Worse, Comelec officials were quoted as blaming the people for their “irresponsibility.”

Vote-buying

In many areas where the ruling party Lakas-CMD is weak, especially in the 5th, 4th and 3rd districts of Negros Occidental, and Dumaguete City, its candidates reportedly resorted to vote-buying

"Administration bets' money for vote-buying literally flowed like water in a falls," testified several voters. In Bacolod and the 5th district, "voters were fetched, provided food, and given money, ranging from P200 to P1,000," they said.

In the 5th district, voters identified with the incumbent congressman Jun Lozada, a Bayan Muna-endorsed candidate, narrated that local bagmen of presidential brother-in-law and congressional aspirant Ignacio “Iggy” Arroyo, distributed hamburger and coke to voters in the towns of Magallon, La Castella and Isabela, the supposed bailiwicks of Lozada. As of press time, Arroyo is ahead of Lozada in these towns, and if the trend continues, is expected to sweep the entire fifth district.

Terror

In Southern Negros, sporadic terror marked the pre-election and election days.

In Sipalay City, 154 kms south of Bacolod, mayoralty bet Ulyses Hisona was allegedly fired at by a group of former paramilitary men on the morning of election itself. The group, which failed to hit Hisona, was allegedly working for the incumbent mayor Oscar Montilla.

The night before, bonnet-wearing armed men roamed the city as if threatening the residents to do as they are expected come election day. Vice-mayoralty bet and Bayan Muna-endorsed Councilor Edmund Garingalao suspected they could be goons hired by the administration.

In Cauayan town, 135 kms. south of Bacolod, there were reportedly sporadic firings in several interior villages on the eve of elections. This caused some residents to refrain from voting the next day.

Still Danding country

Initial reports from the Comelec show that despite the claims by ruling party Lakas-CMD that majority of the local bets have shifted alliance from the Nationalist People’s Coalition-UNA-KNP to Lakas, politicians in majority of Negros districts remain with the Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco’s NPC-UNA-KNP.

Except in Bacolod’s lone district, Dumaguete City and the fifth district of Negros Occidental, where Lakas-CMD clearly dominated the congressional and mayoralty contests, the rest of the districts remain under the effective control of the Cojuangco-Maranon led NPC-UNA-KNP. In these districts, gubernatorial bet Joseph Maranon of NPC-UNA-KNP and opposition presidential aspirant Fernando Poe Jr., continue lead.

Anti-Left

A few weeks before the elections, elements of military, police and the rebel turned paramilitary group Revolutionary Proletarian Army (RPA) campaigned among rural villagers not to vote for leftist Bayan Muna and its fraternal party-lists. They have even been using a local FM station "MBC/Radio Natin" in south Negros, and a military program in Radio Bombo to vilify the progressive political groups, as well as "leftist media."

Before and on the day of elections, a full-page paid ad attacking Bayan Muna came out in two local newspapers. Bayan Muna and Bayan believed the military is behind the vilification campaign. Bayan said they would also file complaints against the newspapers on grounds of electioneering because the ads came out on the eve of the elections when campaign was prohibited. Bulatlat.com

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