Men around the municipal town hall carried firearms or bladed weapons on Thursday, October 15. Local Comelec officials were escorted by soldiers.
CALL FOR PEACE. A man calls for calm and sobriety as Jabar Tago (center, in sky blue shirt) filed his certificate of candidacy in Pantar, Lanao del Norte town hall. Photo by Bobby Lagsa/Rappler
LANAO DEL NORTE, Philippines – The Army deployed at least 8 Simba armored vehicles around the Commission on Elections (Comelec) office in Pantar town on Thursday, October 15, to support the local police in preventing a recurrence of armed clashes between rival political camps.
United
Nationalist Alliance (UNA) mayoral candidate Jabar Tago and his slate were able
to file their Certificates of Candidacies (COC) after the military and the
police successfully brokered an arrangement with the the rival camp of Mayor
Mohammed Exchan Gabriel Limbona.
Limbona, who was
dismissed by the Ombudsman but later favored by the Supreme Court, brought his
private army and occupied the old municipal town hall where the local Comelec
holds office. High-powered firearms could be seen at the windows of the
garrisoned town hall.
Tago is the
nephew of Acting Mayor Mangondaya Tago, who was installed in May 2014 to
replace Limbona after his dismissal. But Limbona did not step down, resulting
in the months-long standoff between the two mayors.
Tago, 28, said it
was their clan's decision to field him after his uncle decided to step down. He
filed along with his vice mayoral canddiate Caumban Alumna and councilors Anwar
Palagawad, Amel Macauyag, Boks Alingan, Anwar Mama, Abdah Macauyag, Jun Abbas,
Saip Gubaten and Madid Pangsayan.
ARMY TANKS. V150 Simba armored vehicles guard the Pantar Municipal Hall. Photo by Bobby Lagsa/Rappler
Arrangement
It's a situation
that is common in the two Lanao provinces, where clans fight for control of
various towns.
In Pantar, the
Philippine Army and the Regional Public Safety Battalion (PPSB) and Provincial
Public Safety Battalion of the National Police brokered a negotiation between
the camps of Limbona and Tago.
According to a
source privy to the talks, they agreed that Limbona's camp would file their
COCs between Monday and Wednesday morning. The rest of the week was scheduled
for Tago's camp.
Tension ran high
inspite of the arrangement. Men around the town hall were either carrying
firearms or bladed weapons. The Comelec officials, who faced constant danger
because of the presence of private armed groups, were escorted by soldiers.
The private armed
groups were not disarmed. Police Inspector Wilson Miflores said that it is a
“very difficult situation with difficult local dynamic.”
The municipal
police command has been “compromised,” he added.
Police Inspector
Jaypee Dagami, team leader of the RPSB, said the town would be a warzone if not
for the presence of security forces.
A murder case and
the Aguinaldo doctrine
Limbona was
administratively dismissed because of his alleged involvement in the 2007 murder of Pantar Vice Mayor Hadji Abdul Rasid Onos,
according to a Sun Star report. He was also ordered disqualified for
re-employment in government service.
Limbona was
allowed to join the mayoral race again after the Comelec junked a
disqualification case against him. Citing the Aguinaldo doctrine, the poll body
said his reelection in the 2013 election effectively reversed the Ombudsman
ruling. The Supreme Court, in a June 2015 ruling, upheld the Comelec ruling.
GMA News reported
that the two camps engaged in a 22-hour
firefight in August after a grenade was lobbed at Limbona's
residence.
SECURITY. A member of the Regional Public Safety Battalion stands guard outside the town hall of Pantar, Lanao del Norte town hall. Photo by Bobby Lagsa/Rappler
http://www.rappler.com/nation/politics/elections/2016/109454-tension-pantar-lanao-norte
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