Another clash mars Taguig polls

Another scuffle between supporters of rival political camps reportedly marred Election Day in Taguig City.

Nine days after they figured in a similar confrontation, the group of opposition mayoral candidate Rica Tiñga accused City Hall personnel of harassment in Maharlika Village.

The Tiñga camp said men allegedly from the Public Order and Safety Office (POSO) mauled four supporters of Kilusang Diwa ng Taguig (KDT) as they were setting up a help desk for voters and handing out flyers at Maharlika Elementary School at 8 a.m.

In a statement, Barangay (village) Maharlika councilor Udang Limpasan said her 20-year-old daughter Fatima Gelliana and her friends Adzman and Yadhi Harun, and Lino Madjani were setting up the desk near the school gate when they were accosted by a group led by Maharlika-based POSO member Arah Pautin.

“They tried to snatch the laptop of my daughter. She got hurt in the scuffle and they tore her blouse. When her two friends tried to help her, they were mauled,” Limpasan said.

But the camp of reelectionist Mayor Lani Cayetano, through the local chapter of the Nacionalista Party, said the identity of the attackers could not be immediately confirmed.

“We are still waiting for the police report. Our ground reports only indicate that two groups clashed because of issues arising from the distribution of sample ballots,” said NP-Taguig legal counsel Lyle Niño Pasco.