Widow of slain Bayan Muna
member 1st to file candidacy in Samar
By NINFA B. QUIRANTE (PIA
Samar)
March 13, 2007
CATBALOGAN, Samar – Concepcion
"Dayday" de Luna, widow of the late Dominador de Luna, the slain Bayan Muna
member was the first ever candidate to file a certificate of candidacy as member
of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.
According to COMELEC Samar
Provincial Office, de Luna filed her candidacy on the first week of March.
De Luna is a re-electionist
and was serving as SP when unknown elements gunned down her husband while on his
tour of duty as NFA employee.
No other provincial candidate
has been known to have filed with COMELEC Samar.
Meanwhile Municipal Election
Officers have flocked to the COMELEC Provincial Office for a ‘voters cleansing‘
process where unqualified voters are weeded out and legitimate ones remain.
In Daram, an island southwest
of Catbalogan and area of the slain Mayor Benito Astorga, Election officer July
Uy bared that total voters of this town with 58 barangays totaled 19,423 with an
increase of only 767.
Uy said that Daram is ready
with the elections although no candidate has filed in his office yet. He said
that the people have reported to him about the presence of government soldiers
though he has yet to meet them.
In the adjacent island town of
Zumarraga , Election officer Rodrigo Mabulay said that Noel Edwin Figueroa, son
of Mayor Neliptha and Samar second district Representative Catalino ‘Cata’
Figueroa has already filed his candidacy. Some 14 candidates in Zumarraga have
now lodged their candidacy at his office, Mabulay said.
In another island town Almagro
located west, northwest of Catbalogan, Election Officer Lito Villa said that
there are no filers yet though rumors are rife that a former mayor Raul
Escalante will be the political opponent of incumbent Mayor Rustico Talon now on
his third term.
In remote Matuginao, Election
Officer Fernando Aquino bared that his list of voters have been totally cleansed
and that only a total of 687 were added to his official list of voters.
Matuginao is reachable through
the Gandara River by sailing/cruising three to four hours.
Unlike in other areas where
teachers are averse to the presence of the military, Aquino said that teachers
who serve usually seek the presence of army elements for security especially in
most remote barangays.
Amidst the cleansing and
weeding out of voters either for transfer or sheer disqualification COMELEC
Personnel Renato Gaditano said that they have cleansed 70% of the list of voters
in the entire Samar Province.
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