The Robredo People’s Council in Negros Occidental is calling on the Commission on Elections to investigate and quickly address the increasing cases of election-related dirty tricks, which include intimidation and direct threats on their volunteers, in some towns and cities in the province.
“We would like to issue a call for the conduct of a clean campaign because we have noted over the last several weeks a drastic increase in the number of incidents that we can define as political dirty tricks, ” former Negros Occidental governor Rafael Coscolluela, RPC provincial campaign manager, said on Friday, April 22.
“I am appealing to all the mayors and public officials to be the lead in ensuring that we will have a clean campaign throughout the province,” he said.
He said dirty tricks, and cases of intimidation and direct threats on Robredo volunteers have already been reported in Pulupandan, Ilog, Cauayan, La Carlota City and Bago City.
Coscolluela also called on Comelec to act on the illegal placement of campaign materials that is happening provincewide.
Comelec should act in a fair and firm manner, he said.
The former governor said the five “dirty tricks” happening in Negros Occidental against the Leni-Kiko campaign, are “Pamahog (threats), Patalang (misleading), Pasalig (promises), Pamakal (buying) and Pangbaklas (removal of campaign materials)”.
These “trapo” methods are used by people who are prepared to go to any lengths in order to improve their chances of winning, even if it subverts the people’s free will, he said.
If the group of the other presidential candidate is saying that the election is over and they are sure winners, why are they resorting to dirty tricks? Coscolluela asked.
“It only reveals their insecurity as popular support for VP Leni continues to snowball,” said the former governor, who also appealed to all campaigners to keep their campaign clean.
He said in one small town in the fourth district Robredo volunteers have experienced direct threats and intimidation.
“They have been told they cannot campaign, put up posters and bring in campaigners in the town, in other words there is no democracy in that small town, and this is also happening in various degrees in other areas,” he said.
“Pasalig” refers to baragays officials being promised prizes if they deliver the votes for a certain presidential candidate, which includes the use of government resources, Coscolluela said.
He said “patalang” refers to efforts by some people to mislead Robredo supporters. He said a person wearing a pink shirt was seen distributing posters with Robredo and the number seven on it. Robredo’s number in the ballot is ten and seven is the number of Ferdinand Marcos Jr., he said.
Coscolluela said “pamakal” or buying of loyalty of barangay officials and residents, and promises of projects using government funds by Robredo’s opponents have also started.
“Pangbaklas” or the removal of Robredo tarpaulins has also become rampant provincewide, he said.
“But the most bothersome case are tarpaulins that were not only taken down in Bago City, but were sliced up into small pieces and reassembled to constitute the initials of the other candidate,” he said.
MARCOS CAMP
Asked who were carrying out the dirty tricks, Coscolluela said “there is only one camp capable of doing that, very clearly the camp of Bongbong Marcos. They are the only ones with the resources, the political clout.”
His first cousin, former Murcia mayor Esteban “Sonny” Coscolluela, who is the Marcos spokesman in Negros, denied that their camp is responsible for the dirty tricks.
“Our policy has always been we will run our campaign the way our candidate is projecting himself”, which is for unity, he said.
“We are way ahead, we will not go into dirty tricks…I dare them to prove that,” the Marcos spokesperson said.
PREPARATIONS
The RPC in Negros Occidental is setting up Quick Response Teams, which include lawyers, to respond to election-related complaints, Rafael Coscolluela said.
They are also completing their Operation Vote Watch training that requires 4,912 watchers provincewide, he added.
ILLEGAL CAMPAIGNING
He said they have advised all voters not to wear anything that constitutes campaign materials, including pink shirts, on May 8 and 9. These could be considered illegal campaigning, he warned.
“You can be accused of illegal campaigning and you can get disqualified from voting,” Coscolluela said.
He stressed the need to avoid wholesale disqualification.
They are advising Robredo supporters not to show their colors on election day to avoid being intimidated and disqualified, he said.*