DIASEN FINALLY PROCLAIMED

BAGUIO CITY—Kalinga gubernatorial bet Floydelia Diasen was finally proclaimed by the provincial board of canvassers Tuesday morning.

Although the petition of her rival, incumbent Rep. Laurence Wacnang, is still being heard by the provincial board of canvassers, Commission on Elections provincial director Ricardo Lampac said the votes from Tinglayan town will no longer affect the results of the elections in the gubernatorial race.

Lampac said that the canvassed votes from Tinglayan would only total to more than 9,000.

But the proclamation for the congressional and vice gubernatorial race was suspended as of press time.

Official results of the provincial board of canvassers showed that Diasen obtained 52,000 votes compared to Wacnang’s 34,000 votes.

Earlier, Diasen’s camp filed a petition to the provincial board of canvassers to immediately proclaim her as winner but Wacnang’s lawyers opposed it.

The same petition also claimed that Wacnang, who is running second in the gubernatorial race, was using dilatory tactics to prevent the proclamation of Diasen by posing impertinent, irrelevant, irrational and arbitrary motions or arguments before the provincial board of canvassers.

Manila Standard

Proclamation of the New Kalinga Governor Hangs

TRUE to what Commission on Elections (Comelec) regional director Velasco predicted that more violence might occur after the elections, especially among candidates who could not accept defeat, the political situation in Kalinga at the moment is getting more intense.

“The situation is tense,” was how Kalinga Election Officer Rufino Lampac described the province’s condition, in a text message to Sun.Star Sunday night. “Tulgao (incumbent Gov. Laurence Wacnang) wants to delay as much as possible,” he added.

As a result, Lampac said canvassing at Tinglayan, a known bailiwick of Wacnang, is currently on hold. Canvassing in the municipalities of Tabuk, Rizal, Pasil, Pinukpuk, Lubuagan and Balbalan were already completed.

Results of the canvassing in these municipalities showed the widow of slain Vice Governor Romel Diasen - Floydelia - leading by a wide margin against incumbent Wacnang and another candidate, lawyer Warren Luyaben.

Source:Sunstar Network

Mayor seeks revamp of ‘bodong’ council; policies

TABUK, Kalinga: Apparently disgusted with the claim that tribal conflict is behind the recent killing of vice-governor and gubernatorial bet Rommel Diasen, the town mayor here has proposed that the Matagoan Bodong Consultative Council be revamped and some of its policies be revised and enforced.

Mayor Camilo Lammawin Jr. said he is disgusted by the nonenforcement of some “bodong” policies, which has been allegedly taken for granted by some “mestizos” who took over the council.

“In the previous years, ‘bodong’ has been very effective because the people enforcing it are natives like us. Now, we have been invaded by mestizos or strangers,” he said.

Lammawin said he was also incensed by the failure of the “bodong” council officials to work for the filing of criminal charges against the killers after the civil liabilities of offenders were absolved by giving “papod”—a form of appeasement, such as money or carabao.

Manila Times
PHOTO BY ART TIBALDO

Kalinga local candidates forge peace covenant

TABUK, Kalinga — Local candidates in five municipalities this province forged recently peace covenants to work for and observe clean election process among other agreed provisions.

For the candidates of the towns of Lubuagan, Tanudan, Pinukpuk, Balbalan, and Tinglayan, they agreed to observe honest, orderly, credible, and peaceful election and to abide by the following: post campaign materials only on designated common poster areas; will not resort to vote buying; will not engage in violence, intimidation, and ballot snatching; will not employ the services of private armies; and will not pay campaign fees to the communist terrorists.

They will also respect each other and their opponents and not to apply black propaganda to gain advantage over their rivals.

The peace covenants were signed by mayoral candidates, vice mayoral bets and councilor-candidates.

The peace forum which resulted to the signing of the peace covenant was sponsored by Comelec and the Police.

In Tanudan, 29 out of the 41 candidates signed the agreement. In Pinukpuk, the covenant signing was witnessed by Fr. Lodovikus Mamu Koten, Catholic Parish Priest there.

It can be recalled that Provincial Election Supervisor Thomas Kalinga placed the towns of Tinglayan, Lubuagan, Pasil, Pinukpuk and Tanudan, all of Upper Kalinga, as areas of immediate concern for the May 14 election after evaluating the peace and order situation in the said areas with the police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Source:(PIA-Kalinga)