BAGUIO CITY—The reported attempt by supporters of a gubernatorial race winner to take over the Abra capitol on May 12 arose from a misunderstanding, and provincial operations had since normalized, police said.
Outgoing Gov. Eustaquio Bersamin had asked a special task force composed of policemen and army soldiers to secure the capitol, fearful that a takeover attempt could escalate tension in the province, which was placed under the control of the Commission on Elections.
Part of the takeover fears emanated from the supposed disappearance of service vehicles assigned to provincial offices that were later found parked at a government motor pool.
The vehicles were recalled on the instructions of the province’s general services office for an inventory requested by Gov.-elect Maria Jocelyn Valera-Bernos.
These were subsequently returned to their designated offices, according to a May 13 report of Senior Supt. Antonio Bartolome, Abra police director.
In a telephone interview, Bernos said provincial officials may have misinterpreted a call she made on May 11 to the general services officer to conduct an inventory of government property and other items before these are placed under her custody.
“On Tuesday (May 10), before my proclamation, I was informed about people hauling out things from the capitol [in the capital, Bangued town],” Bernos said, prompting her to ask for an equipment audit after she was proclaimed the winner of the May 9 gubernatorial contest.
“They were bringing out bags of fertilizer and water pumps, which were hauled to a private compound in [the neighboring town of] Peñarrubia,” she said. Vincent Cabreza, Inquirer Northern Luzon