Amid electoral protest City Hall barricaded, guarded

BAYBAY CITY, Philippines — Iron railings with firetrucks, the police and the military and even traffic enforcers have been set up around the perimeter compound of the City Hall and Legislative Building, reportedly upon orders of Mayor Carmen Cari.

The mayor had ordered the setting up of the barricade to secure the area, where local government offices are located, following a series of protest rallies staged by supporters of her mayoralty opponent Marilou “Malot” Galenzoga condemning Cari’s proclamation and accusing the City Comelec of electoral fraud.

The Galenzoga camp assailed the barricade, which it said was unnecessary and in violation of the law. It cited Section 455 of Article 1 of the Local Government Code allowing the mayor to “call upon the appropriate law enforcement agencies to suppress disorder, riot, lawless violence, rebellion or sedition, or to apprehend violators of the law when public interest so requires and the city police are inadequate to cope with the situation …”

Galenzoga contended that the rallies conducted by her supporters did not constitute any of this provision. “There was no violence during the rally, thus, the barricade only denies the people of Baybay the opportunity to air their grievances,” she said.

The rallies held in front of the City Hall over the past days only demanded answers from Cari and City Comelec officer Susan Collamar on alleged fraud in the elections, especially the “illegal composition of the City Board of Canvassers that proclaimed Cari and her slate,” said Galenzoga.

Galenzoga argued that an “illegally constituted CBOC will also commit an illegal proclamation of a winner,” thus the Baybayanons wanted the Comelec to explain the true reasons why this happened.

She described the barricade as “a desperate move by Cari to survive political scandals,” and she added that “no one can stop Baybayanons, not even roadblocks or barricades, from demanding for justice against electoral fraud and for change in the city government.” (FREEMAN)