The billboard of outgoing sixth district Rep. Luigi Quisumbing (Liberal Party), is destroyed allegedly by supporters of the rival parties. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
Two rival Mandaue City parties are accusing each other of using “dirty tactics” in their election campaign.
Mandaue City mayoral candidate Emmarie “Lolypop” Ouano-Dizon of One Cebu party has accused her rival candidate, Cebu sixth district Rep. Luigi Quisumbing of the Liberal Party of resorting to “dirty tactics” after her and her party mates’ tarpaulins and banners were vandalized by motorcycle-riding persons last Friday.
Ouano-Dizon said that their banners and tarpaulins were sprayed with the words “Lamppost overpriced” and “Shabu lab.”
These events are major controversies during the term of his late father, Thadeo Ouano, as Mandaue City mayor.
“This seems to be an act of desperation already. And I thought I was the underdog here kay konsehal ra ko. Ang ako lang appeal, let’s just play fair. They have been doing this since day one but this is too much already, it’s beyond decency,” said Ouano-Dizon, who is a Mandaue City councilor.
But former vice mayor and lawyer Carlo Fortuna, who is Quisumbing’s runningmate, said that their banners and tarpaulins were also slashed and torn, and even their billboards were burned allegedly by Ouano-Dizon’s supporters.
Fortuna showed a picture where the posters and tarpaulins were destroyed in Barangay Tingub.
“Unlike them, who are accusing us, what we are seeing this morning (Saturday) is something planned and deliberate,” Fortuna said about the defacing of their campaign banners and tarpaulins.
The campaign tarpaulin of Mandaue City mayoral candidate Lolypop Ouano of One Cebu is defaced. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS)
Fortuna said that their camp vowed not to do anything that would constitute an election violation since they had committed themselves to the peace covenant that they had signed.
“Dirty tactics have long been the trademark of Ouano politics, and this is simply another manifestation. It is unfortunate for them that Mandaue knows the truth about who is behind these tactics,” said Quisumbing in a text message sent to Cebu Daily News.
“We have eye witness accounts about their operations. There have been numerous incidents of threats and harassment from their camp. All I can say is that thankfully the election is two weeks away so that people can once again feel safe. This last ditch effort to gain sympathy simply confirms what the people of Mandaue already know,” Quisumbing said.
But one of Ouano-Dizon’s council slate member, George Mendoza, posted pictures of their vandalized tarpaulins in his Facebook account.
“Do you really want to win so bad? Ako okay ra mapildi. Let the people decide,” Mendoza said of their rivals, whom he said defaced their campaign tarpaulins.
Mendoza, however, also said that he heard of the other party’s tarpaulins being defaced too.
“Kaila ra man sad mi sa uban sa pikas. Gipanglaksi sad kuno ilaha. (We are also friends with candidates on the other party. Their campaign banners were also allegedly destroyed.) We don’t have any control of our supporters. But we were first (victims of the vandalism),” Mendoza said.
Ouano-Dizon said, however, that they would not file any complaint at the Commission on Elections about the vandalism on their campaign tarpaulins and banners.
Fortuna, for his part, asked supporters to exercise maximum restraint because it cannot be avoided that the sentiments of their (rivals’) supporters may lead to something bad.
“However, we call on peace-loving Mandauehanons to condemn this act of aggression because we feel this may pose a threat to the peaceful and orderly election in the city of Mandaue,” he said.