By Bohol Chronicle
Tagbilaran City residents are alarmed on the rising acts of terrorism prevailing during the campaign period, including threats to media practitioners.
Lakas-Kampi-CMD mayoralty bet, Vice Mayor Jose Antonio Veloso said that their supporters fear attending their caucuses at night in the barangays due to intimidation done usually by members of the dreaded task force of the city mayor otherwise known as the City Monitoring Team.
It is public knowledge that some members of the task force known as tough guys in the barangays are armed. In fact, one of its members, Filber Ingles eluded police arrest during a drug raid at their residence in Lindaville subdivision, Dao district, this city. Ingles is seen roaming around "untouched" by police operatives.
Veloso told the Chronicle yesterday that he noticed people slowly coming out from nowhere as they wind up their caucuses to "confess" that they were just listening to their talks from a distance for fear that task force members will see them attending their caucuses. This happened in barangays Manga, Cogon and Poblacion 3, this city.
The "reign of terror" in the city during the campaign period was affirmed during a random survey conducted by the top-rated independent weekly program "Radyo Merkado" of dyRD.
A significant majority (89%) of the respondents said they are being intimidated by supporters of Mayor Dan Lim. The 11 percent, perceived as supporters of the mayor, tried to convince the public there is no such thing as reign of terror in the city.
Asked to specify how they were being intimidated, most of the respondents cited the harassment made by members of the mayor's task force.
For instance, a group of drivers under TAFILTRA, INC said they were threatened if they will not support the mayor this election.
Two tricycle drivers narrated they were threatened if they will not remove the stickers of mayoralty bet Veloso while a lady resident, who claims to be the daughter of a businessman called to say her family was literally forced to have the tarpaulin of Mayor Lim placed at the entrance of their house.
Other respondents who courageously went on-air narrated that they were threatened to be cut off of their benefits from city hall should they be known to support Veloso for mayor.
The respondents questioned why they be deprived of the benefits of city hall programs when all these are funded by the city government designed to be extended to all, regardless of political affiliation.
Such programs as the Blue Card medical program and the cakes for senior citizens are being given selectively only to the supporters of the mayor.
Former Gov. Relampagos, congressional bet for the first district, during a separate interview said several tricycle drivers personally went to him and apologized that they will have to remove his (Relampagos) tarpaulin after they were threatened by members of the task force
MEDIA HARASSMENT
Broadcaster Boyet Requeron said he will be forced to go back anchoring his daily program live at the studio of dyTR after station manager Lito Responte said it is station policy that broadcasts through the phone will no longer be allowed.
Requeron resorted to phone patch hosting after he was harassed by task force members twice coming out from the station after his radio program.
The broadcaster deplored Mayor Lim's continued threats to media practitioners who are crusading to tell the truth particularly on prevailing anomalies at the city hall.
"He is one person who has no room for criticisms, thus he resorts to violence perpetrated by his task force members," Requeron said.
NO "MARTIAL RULE"
Mayor Lim, in his radio program yesterday denied insinuations of "martial rule" in the city saying he could have closed station dyRD for allowing commentators to criticize him especially during this campaign period.
"Being a re-elected mayor, it means I got the acceptability of the people," Lim said.
When asked why he has no paid political programs over dyRD, he said he was not allowed to get airtime in the station.
However, in a check made with dyRD management, it was learned that Mayor Lim did not arrange any airtime with the station as he is banking solely in his several paid slots over dyTR. Likewise, he admitted during his radio program that he has unpaid accounts with station dyRD.
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