Liberal Party candidates snubbed a covenant signing organized by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the Carcar City Police yesterday morning.
Three out of four mayoralty candidates of Carcar City — incumbent Mayor Nicepuro Apura of Nacionalist Party-Alayon (NP-Alayon) and independent candidates Vicente Balberonia Jr. and Agustin Sollano Jr. — attended the peace covenant signing.
Only one of two vice mayor candidates, reelectionist Vice Mayor Mario Patricio Barcenas, and candidates for councilor under the NP-Alayon slate were present.
Organizers from Comelec and the city police were disappointed that LP mayoral bet Raul “Yayoy” Alcoseba and his entire slate did not appear in the signing.
Arthur Patiga, acting election officer of Carcar City, said a letter of invitation was sent a week before the scheduled signing and he even called Alcoseba’s group for confirmation.
Patiga told reporters they confirmed to come.
But Supt. Brindo Nacario, chief of police Carcar City, said he received a call from Alcoseba that he cannot make it to the signing.
Alcoseba, in a text message to CDN, said he wasn’t able to attend the signing since he had to attend the caucus at the provincial board.
Alcoseba is an incumbent PB member of the first district of Cebu province.
“We have important matters to tackle in today’s session. And I talked to Carcar chief of police last Saturday informing him that I will not be able to attend,” he said.
Alcoseba’s vice mayoralty candidate, Roberto Aleonar Jr., was at the city hall but did not attend the signing since he had to attend a hearing at the Municipal Trial
Court in Cities (MTCC) under presiding Judge Grace Orma Espina-Ypil.
Patiga said the peace covenant signing was aimed at involving candidates in the conduct of a peaceful, credible and clean elections since the Comelec can’t do it alone.
Msgr. Carlito Puno, parish priest of Carcar City, administered the oath before the signing.
In his short message, Puno said he was sad that the candidates were not complete.
But he urged the candidates present to work together despite having different views.
Meanwhile, Apura criticized Alcoseba saying his absence at the signing is a sign of insincerity for his part.
“Ug sinsero pa siya, bisan unsa kakapoy ug kalayo sa ilaha motunga gyud siya (If he is sincere, no matter how tired or how far his residence is, he will come),” he told reporters.
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