Duterte camp decries harassment at rally

The camp of presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said its supporters were prevented from attending a campaign rally in Mambajao, Camiguin, on Wednesday.

In a statement, Duterte’s spokesperson Peter Laviña said their camp was able to confirm reports of “various forms of suppression” of their supporters in Camiguin.

Duterte and his running mate, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, were set to arrive in Camiguin on Wednesday afternoon.

Laviña said vehicles sporting Duterte stickers and posters were forced to the back of the line at the pier in Balingoan, Misamis Oriental.

Electricity to the Mambajao Freedom Park was cut and homes nearby were warned not to allow the Duterte team to connect to their electrical lines, Laviña said.

The sound system was pulled out even though the organizers had paid for it. The owners were reportedly told they would not be allowed to do business in Camiguin if they did not comply. A sound system had to be rented from Cagayan de Oro City, he added.

A government employee told a Duterte coordinator they were threatened with removal of benefits, including cash allowances, if they joined the rally. Local coordinators reported that local officials were threatening people with repercussions if they attended the Duterte-Cayetano rally.

“They were told they would be delisted from the 4Ps, PhilHealth and scholarship programs,” Laviña said.

Market vendors were told they would not be allowed to sell if they attended the rally.

The mayor of Mambajao is Ma. Luisa Romualdo. Her husband is Camiguin Gov. Jurdin Jesus Romualdo and Camiguin Rep. Xavier Jesus Romualdo is their son.

Governor Romualdo, when he was in Congress, was among those implicated in the  P10-billion pork barrel scam. The Romualdos were then with the Nationalist People’s Coalition. In 2013, they jumped over to the ruling Liberal Party and have thrown their support behind Mar Roxas.

“Trapo politics reigns in Camiguin and we need to expose this ugly side of the island,” Laviña said. “Our volunteers and supporters are being harassed, people are being warned not to be on the streets for the arrival of our candidates and not to attend the rally.”

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