| Case Study 1
Estancia, Iloilo
The killing of two supporters of a mayoral candidate of Estancia town in Iloilo on May 8 is among the most violent election-related incidents in Iloilo in recent years.
Gunmen on board a motorcyle and a white pickup truck shot dead Ronaldo Estandarte, 56, and Roberto Magarso, 44, at Barangay Pani-an in Balasan town bordering Estancia town.
The victims who were riding a van were supporters of defeated Estancia mayoral candidate and former vice mayor Melina Requinto.
Police on May 22 filed murder charges before the Iloilo Provincial Prosecutor’s Office against seven suspects in the killings. The suspects are believed to hired goons.
Named respondents were Federico/Arturo Balume aka Master Pedic, Junjun Cordero, Chris Perlas, Allen Francisco, Francis Balume, Turing Balume and Ramie Balume.
Requinto of the Nationalist People’s Coalition lost to re-elected Mayor Rene Cordero of the Liberal Party. She got 10,052 votes against Cordero’s 11,750 votes.
She blamed “goons” allegedly under the control of Cordero for the killing of her supporters.
She said armed men had been hunting and threatening her leaders and supporters days before the elections.
Cordero, who draws support from political families in the municipality and will be serving his fifth term as mayor since 2001, has repeatedly denied her allegation.
An insider in Cordero’s camp, said Requinto had previously given way to Cordero on the condition that she will run for mayor after he has served a term or two. But apparently this has not been met which could have intensified the rivalry among the two camps.
Estancia, 154 kilometers northeast of Iloilo City, has consistently been among the election watchlist areas due to a history of election-related violence.
A second class municipality (average annual income less than P55 million), Estancia has 42,666 residents (2010 census) with 27,447 registered voters (2016).
Voter turnout in the municipality in the May 9, 2016 elections was relatively high (84.72 percent) despite the pre-election killings.
The coastal town is a main fish trading and transport hub for Western and Central Visayas. It is dubbed the “Alaska of the Philippines” because of its abundant seafood and for being a main fish trading center. Its feeder port also serves inter-island vessels. The town also a major transhipment point for illegal drugs due to its strategic location, according to sources.
The operation of armed goons in the Iloilo’s 5th congressional district, which, includes, Estancia, prompted the Iloilo provincial board to summon police, military and election officials, to shed light on the situation.
The Iloilo Provincial Police Office represented by Senior Supt. Roderick Augustus Alba, Iloilo police director, confirmed the presence and operation of armed goons but failed to identify who they were working for. |
