The Bogo Times Blog

All of Cebu's fourth legislative district has been flagged as an election "hot spot" after the regional police updated its list of areas where violence could break out during this year's election period. The fourth district takes in the city of Bogo along with the towns of Bantayan, Daanbantayan, Madridejos, Medellin, San Remigio, Sta. Fe, Tabogon, and Tabuelan. Superintendent Paul Labra II, the regional police intelligence chief, said the revised Election Watchlist Areas, or EWAS, came out of the force's ongoing assessment of localities across Central Visayas. Region-wide, the watchlist grew sharply, climbing from 34 to 81 towns and cities. Much of that jump came from folding in every town in Bohol and Siquijor. Labra said the classification would guide how the police distribute their personnel, explaining that the areas identified through their assessment would serve as the basis for deployment. photo source: philstar.com

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc has rejected the request of Rep. Benhur Salimbangon (Cebu, 4th district) to place Bogo City in northern Cebu under Comelec control in the 2013 elections to prevent a repeat of the stand-off in Pulambato in 2010. Comelec Chairperson Sixto Brillantes said the Comelec, as a collegial body, decided that placing Bogo City under Comelec control is unnecessary and has no basis. Brillantes said the Comelec decision is final. Earlier, Salimbangon said placing Bogo City under Comelec control will prevent violence in the elections, especially that there are armed men in the area who are freely roaming around. Salimbangon said he wants clean and honest elections and placing Bogo City under Comelec control will prevent criminals from making trouble during the campaign period and on election day. Bogo City Mayor Celestino “Junie” Martinez Jr. said he is happy to learn about the Comelec order, saying the congressman’s suggestion is selective...

Commission on Elections Chairman Sixto Brillantes, Jr. said Cebu’s 4th district would only be placed under Comelec control if there is actual violence. Sixto Brillantes Jr. Brillantes said the situation should be grave enough to warrant the commission’s control. ”Kung marami na hong namamatay dyan, nag-bombahan na, nag-iitsahan na ng granada, nagsusuguran na, maraming loose firearms, nagbabarilan na dyan. Wala nang peace and order. That is the time we place it under Comelec control. Is that the situation?” Brillantes said in an interview in Atty. Frank Malilong’s TV 5 program “Frankahay Ta.” ... Mayor Junie Martinez said they only suggested that the entire district be placed under Comelec control with conditions after Salimbangon suggested that Bogo be placed under the commission’s control. ”Salimbangon wants only Bogo declared, so I said, ‘Why not the entire district?” Junie said. Read more: balita.ph Comelec Provincial Supervisor Lionel Marco Castilla...

CEBU, Philippines — Three towns and one city in Cebu are under close watch by government security agencies looking to head off possible political violence as the 2013 elections approach. While the areas have not yet been branded as election hotspots, the Joint Peace and Security Coordinating Conference (JPSCC) is keeping a careful eye on them, particularly in the fourth district of northern Cebu. Senior Supt. Patrocinio Commendador Jr., the Cebu provincial police chief, said their reading of the security picture rests on existing political rivalries and the record of past violence or threats in each locality. Supt. Paul Labra II, who heads the Regional Intelligence Division of PRO-7, said they are tracking developments in Tuburan, Sogod, and Bogo City in the fourth district, along with Danao City in the fifth. The fourth district remains a tight battleground between the Martinez and Salimbangon camps, while Danao City is being contested by the split Durano clan. The tension is not ...

The Cebu Provincial Prosecutor's Office has thrown out the electoral sabotage complaint that fourth district Rep. Benhur Salimbangon lodged against Celestino Martinez III and two members of the board of canvassers who sat during the May 2007 elections . Acting Cebu Provincial Prosecutor Raul Cristoria dismissed the case, citing a lack of evidence to move it forward. He ruled that his office could not establish probable cause when the material presented fell short of what was needed to support the charge. According to Cristoria, Salimbangon's complaint was not backed by sworn statements from witnesses who had firsthand knowledge of the election offense supposedly committed by Martinez and canvassers Jose Menguez and Rhett Menguez . He noted that even in his own sworn declaration, Salimbangon never claimed to have personally seen the irregularities he attributed to the respondents. In his complaint, Salimbangon accused Martinez of rigging the results in the town of B...