Makabayan cries foul after campaign blocked by barangay officials in Oriental Mindoro

The Makabayan Coalition on Wednesday expressed its frustration after barangay officials in Pola, Oriental Mindoro allegedly prevented them from holding their campaign sortie in the town.

In a Facebook post, senatorial candidates Liza Maza, Ronnel Arambulo, Mimi Doringo, Amirah Lidasan, ACT-Teacher’s Party-list Representative France Castro, and their allies were faced by individuals wearing blue uniforms who told them that their barangay does not allow anyone to “interview” their residents.

Maza and Doringo said it is their right to hold campaigns even in secluded areas. 

“Ang ganitong klase ng panghaharang at pagbabawal sa Makabayan na makapasok sa mga komunidad ay labag sa COMELEC Fair Campaigning Guidelines. Walang karapatan ang barangay captain, Mayor, o kahit sino na pagbawalan ang pangangampanya lalo na sa mga liblib at mahirap maabot na mga komunidad. Kailangang paimbestigahan kung sino ang nasa likod ng ganitong gawa-gawang batas,” Maza said in a statement. 

(Banning Makabayan from entering communities is against the COMELEC Fair Campaigning Guidelines. The barangay captain, Mayor, or anyone else has no right to prohibit campaigning especially in remote and hard-to-reach communities. There must be an investigation into who is behind this fabricated law.) 

“Hindi nila kailangang itanong sa amin kung sino ang kakampanyahan naming mga residente dahil karapatan namin iyon. Kitang-kita na may mga karanasan ang mga residente na pilit nilang tinatago. Kaya mas dapat na maabot ng Makabayan ang mga komunidad na ito para malaman ang kanilang kalagayan”, said Doringo. 

(They don't need to ask us who our residents will campaign with because that is our right. It is obvious the residents have experiences that they are trying to hide. That is why Makabayan should reach out to these communities more to find out their situation.) 

Meanwhile, Lidasan said that they were there to talk with the Mangyan community.

“Nandito kami para kamustahin ang ating mga kapatid na Mangyan na naninirahan sa Mindoro. Sila ay bahagi ng kinakatawan ng Makabayan na mayroong karapatang iboto ang mga kandidatong ipaglalaban ang kanilang mga karapatan para sa lupang ninuno at laban sa militarisasyon”, she said in a statement. 

(We are here to meet our Mangyan brothers and sisters living in Mindoro. They are part of the Makabayan representation who have the right to vote for candidates who will fight for their rights for their ancestral lands and against militarization.) 

GMA News Online reached out to the local government of Pola for comment. 

The Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives earlier filed a complaint before the Commission on Elections over the alleged harassment and red-tagging of its election candidates in the upcoming midterm polls.—Vince Angelo Ferreras/RF, GMA Integrated News

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