Gunmen fire at camp-out in Lanao

KAUSWAGAN, Lanao del Norte—More than an hour before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) imposed a gun ban in connection with the upcoming May elections, armed men fired at tents that were set up outside the municipal hall here on Saturday night, wounding at least three civilians.

The attackers were allegedly led by Rommel Arnado, the mayor of the fifth-class municipality (annual income: P15 million-P25 million) who was unseated for being a US citizen by the Supreme Court in an en banc decision in August last year and was barred from running for any elective post in the country.

Arnado, however, refused to give up his seat, prompting his rival in the 2013 polls, Florante Capitan, and his supporters to try and occupy the municipal hall and put up tents on the grounds.

Capitan’s followers, backed by the camp of another Arnado rival, Casan Maquiling, tried to enter the municipal hall on Monday, claiming that Capitan had already been installed as mayor following the Supreme Court ruling. A melee broke out between them and the Arnado supporters, resulting in injuries to seven people.

Arnado said the case against him was still under appeal, but Capitan maintained that the Supreme Court’s decision was already final. The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has yet to issue an order to the mayor to vacate his post.

On Saturday night, Arnado and his men, reportedly members of the civil security unit (CSU), allegedly fired at the protesters, numbering at least 40 and occupying the tents outside the municipal hall. Two men and a woman were hit by stray bullets.

Monita Tomimbang, a supporter of Maquiling and Capitan, said she saw Arnado and his men fire their guns from the highway.

On Sunday morning, Supt. Madid Paitao, the provincial police chief, ordered the relief of Insp. Mark Ian Quieta as municipal police chief.

Maquiling said cases of multiple attempted murder and physical injury would be filed against Arnado and his men. Arnado has denied the allegations, saying that he ordered the CSU members to check on a report that armed men in 10 motorcycles had arrived at the municipal hall.

“It was the camp of Maquiling and Capitan who fired first, and we only responded,” Arnado told the Inquirer. Richel V. Umel, Inquirer Mindanao