Comelec Assures Teachers’ Safety in Cebu Town

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Cebu Province has guaranteed the safety of public school teachers in San Fernando town who will serve in the midterm elections this coming May.

Acting Cebu Provincial Election supervisor Jerome Brillantes made the assurance on Thursday after some public school teachers in San Fernando withdrew from poll duties fearing for their safety.

On Wednesday, at least 20 teachers served notice of their refusal to serve in the coming elections following the spate of killings involving San Fernando town officials. They said they don’t want to be caught in the middle of the political tension in the municipality.

“We already talked with the teachers concerned and assured them that the Comelec and the PNP (Philippine National Police) will do everything possible to keep them safe and secured during the elections,” Brillantes said in an interview.

He said they have given the public school teachers until Friday, February 15, to finalize their decision.

If no teachers from public schools would serve as Electoral Board members, Brillantes said they will have to ask for teacher volunteers from the private schools.

San Fernando, about 38 kilometers south of Cebu City, is among the nine towns in Central Visayas placed under the Red Category by the PNP and the military because of the presence of armed or rebel groups and because of their history of election-related violence.

Last January 10, San Fernando Councilor Rene Dacalos was shot dead inside his store by riding-in-tandem assassins.

Six days later, San Fernando Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) vice president Johnny Arriesgado was ambushed while driving his Multicab.

On January 22, San Fernando Mayor Lakambini Reluya was also ambushed together with her husband and four other companions along the South National Highway in Talisay City by four gunmen.

The lady mayor and her two security aides survived the attack but her husband, San Fernando ABC president Ricardo Reluya Jr., her tourism officer, and driver died in the attack.

Despite the incident, Reluya will still seek reelection come May 13 against businessman Ruben Feliciano, whom she earlier accused as mastermind behind the ambush. (PNA)