(WATCH: Reelectionist Tuburan Mayor Aljon Diamante calls mayoral candidate Daphne Lagon (One Cebu) as liar. Video by James Savellon)
The opposing mayoral candidates in Tuburan town in midwest Cebu accused each other of harassment.
Mayoral candidate Daphne Lagon (One Cebu) alleged that bodyguards of reelectionist Mayor Aljon Diamante (Liberal Party) were sent to the mountain village of Mag-alwa to harass her supporters and burn a supporter’s house.
Senior Insp. Leo Logroño, the town’s police chief, said policemen were sent to the area to verify the claim but found no evidence to confirm the allegations.
Lagon told Cebu Daily News in a phone interview that the house of her supporter Josephine Barcenal was allegedly burned by Diamante’s people on Sunday afternoon.
Lagon claimed that Barcenal, whose house is about 20 kilometers from the town proper, reported that unidentified men first came to their house on Thursday looking for her husband Jun and when they did not find him went on to “ransack” their huse. Barcenal and her three children left their house last Friday and took refuge in Lagon’s campaign headquarters at the town center. She was later told her house was burned down.
Tuburan Mayor Aljon Diamante holds a press conference in his residence Sunday night. (CDN PHOTO/ JAMES SAVELLON)
Diamante, in a separate interview, said Lagon’s camp has no evidence proving that his men or supporters have harassed hers. If they had any, he said he was sure these were all fabricated.
Diamante said Tuburan was peaceful before Lagon arrived in the town who, the mayor alleged, lived in Metro Manila and would only show up in town during election time.
Lagon first ran for vice mayor in 2013 with former Tuburan mayor Rose Suezo, but both lost to Diamante and his brother, Danilo.
“Just look. Tuburan will be peaceful again (after the elections) on Tuesday ,” said Diamante.
Early this week, a political leader and former bodyguard of Diamante, Rene Cangmaong, was ambushed and killed on Monday in a mountain village of the town.
The mayor blamed Lagon’s alleged “armed goons” for the incident. Lagon quickly belied the accusation.
The next day, police arrested a supporter of Lagon, Ludivico Roquero, a former village chieftain, who was named suspect in the Cangmaong ambush-slay. Roquero has denied the charges claiming he was elsewhere at the time incident.