SunStar: Cebu mayor calls for gun ban lifting

Fears of armed goons have prompted a Cebu city mayor to call for the lifting of the Commission on Elections' (Comelec) gun ban, at least for incumbent local officials. Sun Star Cebu reported Saturday that Cebu City mayor Tomas Osmeña wants such a rule abolished, claiming goons who kill bets do not need permits or gun ban exemptions. “The Comelec is abusing its authority. The mayor is entitled to carry firearms, and barangay captains too. That is in the Constitution. I cannot imagine the Comelec amending the Constitution," Osmeña said. Osmeña said he favors arming candidates if they just pass the psychological test. He said this is made more imperative because candidates are prohibited from employing bodyguards. He cited the murder of Sta. Fe town mayoral candidate Rogelio Ilustrisimo Sr. outside the Comelec province office at the Capitol compound Wednesday morning. A day after the murder, five men were arrested at a checkpoint in Bantayan Island after they were caught carrying high-powered firearms. “Gangsters don’t get permits or gun ban exemptions," Osmeña said, adding he empathizes with businessmen who defy the ban by bringing with them their licensed guns when depositing large sums in the banks. He said he is “pretty sure" the Comelec will lose if its gun ban order is challenged in court. Osmeña said the Comelec makes it difficult to ask for exemptions, and that he got his only last week, after applying for it early last February. “And that’s with constant follow-up. They would say we need this, we need that," Osmeña said. Meanwhile, the Cebu City council will take up this coming week the problem of fake bills that city councilors expect to flood voters in the last week of campaigning. Cebu City councilor Arsenio Pacaña asked the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to go after counterfeiters and come up with measures to prevent bogus money from deluging the market. “Take appropriate action in close coordination with the NBI and CIDG calculated to check on the counterfeiters, especially during the election period, which tends to undermine the flow and conduct of free commerce and trade of the country, including Cebu City," he urged the BSP. He said counterfeiters will surely cash in on the elections and will “dupe some of the voting public." Pacaña also asked the Cebuanos not to accept money offered in exchange for their votes. Also, he asked the Visayan Electric Co. (Veco), National Transmission Commission, and National Power Corp. to ensure stable power supply, especially in mountain villages. He said power outages, whether intended or not, could undermine the whole electoral process as it would give unscrupulous candidates the chance to rig the votes. Veco spokeswoman Ethel Natera said they already arranged with Cebu Private Power Corp., the utility firm’s independent power producer, to be ready for the elections. She said VECO will have standby vehicles and personnel to immediately respond to power outages and other problems. - GMANews.TV