Mayor asks Puerto folk: Be vigilant in recall polls
Puerto Princesa Mayor Lucilo Bayron called on the people of the city to exercise vigilance to ensure an orderly, peaceful and honest recall election on May 8, which the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said was all set.
Bayron asked Puerto Princesans to troop to the polling precincts even if the petition behind the recall election was marred by fraud.
“I am confident that our people would come out in full force to vote so I may humbly continue the reforms I started in 2013, when Puerto Princesans overwhelmingly voted for me as their mayor,” Bayron said in a statement.
The Comelec said law enforcement agencies were in place to secure the elections.
On Tuesday, Bayron wrote a letter to the Comelec seeking tighter security measures after the killing on May 4 of Albino Dingcohoy, said to be a supporter of Gov. Jose Alvarez, who is known to be supporting Bayron.
In his statement, Bayron said that under him, Puerto Princesa received the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s 2014 Seal of Good Governance for Good Financial Housekeeping.
From July to December of 2013, Bayron reduced by P233 million the P633-million debt he inherited from Edward Hagedorn, and also whittled down to P985 million the P1.5-billion debt left by Hagedorn.
Bayron also fully settled the city’s financial obligation totaling P159 million, including P34 million owed to Palawan Electric Co.
Criminality also went down under Bayron’s watch by nearly 40 percent, the mayor’s statement said.
Comelec Commissioner Christian Lim said the poll body had prepared measures should there be a need for more Board of Election Inspectors. Tina G. Santos
