Brigadier General Debold Sinas together with a representative from the Commission on Election and Mayoral Candidate, Representative (Cebu 6th district) Jonas Cortes hold a dialogue at the Mandaue City Police Office on Saturday. | Zena V. Magto
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Supporters of candidates running for government posts in Mandaue City are encouraged to always keep a level head and control themselves in dealing with their counterparts or supporters of the rival group as a way to maintain the peace in the city especially as the election day draws near.
This was the advice of Sarah Reuyan, election assistant of the Commission on Elections field office in Mandaue; Colonel Julian Entoma, Mandaue City Police Office chief; and Brigadier General Debold Sinas, Police Regional Office in Central Visayas director; during a dialogue with two local candidates in Mandaue City on Saturday, May 4.
The three met with Cebu 6th District Representative Jonas Cortes, who is running for mayor in Mandaue City, and his party’s congressional candidate Emmarie “Lolypop” Ouano-Dizon, at the MCPO office for the dialogue.
Entoma said that he invited the rival mayoral candidate of Cortes — incumbent Mandaue City Mayor Gabriel Luis “Luigi” Quisumbing, who is running for reelection.
He said that since Quisumbing had no issues to discuss with them he and his partymates did not attend the dialogue.
Read more: Mandaue Comelec Officer tells candidates: Control your supporters
Reuyan, for her part, said that most of the election related rifts were caused by fights between supporters of opposing parties and not between the candidates themselves.
Cortes also agreed with the statement, saying that most of the running candidates are related to each other.
“As what the Comelec said, here in Mandaue, it is the supporters who usually have heated fights, not much on the leaders,” said Sinas.
Instances of supporters fighting over campaign posters and tarpaulins were reported to the police.
“This year’s election is so heated, compared to that of 2016 when I ran for mayor,” said Ouano-Dizon.
Reuyan said that the rise of social media in the arena of politics had also played a big part of the changing landscape.
Reuyan advised election candidates to educate their supporters on the proper placement of campaign posters.
Sinas also advised parties to shrug off a supposed drug matrix being circulated online, which allegedly included prominent names in the city that support Cortes.
Cortes suggested during the briefing to augment the police detail in the city, but Sinas said otherwise, adding that the 483 police deployment would be enough since there were only 27 voting centers in the city.
The camp of Cortes also called for the police to remain neutral in the conduct of operations during the election period.
“Ang amo lang kay ma neutral lang unta ang police nga wala sila’y side-an,” said Ouano-Dizon.
(We just want the police to be neutral and they would side with anybody.)
“We want the assurance from the police for a clean and honest elections,” added Cortes./dbs