Reporters’ Notebook

Negros Occidental

Bishops oppose death penalty

BACOLOD CITY—Two bishops in Negros Occidental expressed opposition to the plan of presumptive President-elect Rodrigo Duterte to restore the death penalty.

Bishop Vicente Navarra, of the Bacolod diocese, said he heeded the Church stand, officially expressed by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), that human life was sacred “from womb to tomb.”

Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of the San Carlos diocese said he was against the restoration of death penalty, more so by hanging.

“I don’t see it as a real and lasting solution to our problems of crimes and drugs,” Alminaza said.

Negros Occidental Gov. Alfredo Marañon favors restoring death penalty as a deterrent against heinous crimes.

The country’s prison cells were already full, the governor said.

A shoot-to-kill order, however, would be violative of human rights and unconstitutional, Marañon said. Carla P. Gomez, Inquirer Visayas

Lt. Gen. Ricardo Visaya

Tarlac

Luisita farmers hit AFP pick

A FEDERATION of farm workers on Wednesday asked presumptive President-elect Rodrigo Duterte to drop his plan to appoint Lt. Gen. Ricardo Visaya as chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines due to his alleged role in the so-called Hacienda Luisita massacre in 2004.

The Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) said Visaya should instead be prosecuted for the death of seven striking workers who were shot dead during a confrontation with policemen and soldiers at the gates of Hacienda Luisita on Nov. 16, 2004. President Aquino, a member of the Cojuangco family that owns Hacienda Luisita, was a congressman of Tarlac at the time.

The Office of the Ombudsman had dismissed two murder cases filed against Mr. Aquino and Gen. Gregorio Catapang for the violence that attended the riot at Luisita. Catapang was appointed AFP chief of staff by Mr. Aquino 10 years after the bloodshed.

Reacting to the UMA claim, Visaya said he was not investigated or ordered to submit a counteraffidavit in connection with the deaths in Luisita.

At the time, Visaya was commander of the 69th Infantry Battalion, which was not at the riot site because it was providing area security away from Luisita. Visaya is the current Southern Luzon Command chief.

Danilo Ramos, UMA secretary general, described Visaya as a “right hand man and protégé” of detained retired Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan.

Palparan is standing trial for the kidnapping of two University of the Philippines students in Bulacan province.

Visaya said “leftists always try to discredit me.” Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon

Aklan

Boracay goes Rody-Robredo

PRESUMPTIVE President-elect Rodrigo Duterte won over Liberal Party (LP) standard-bearer Mar Roxas even on Boracay Island in Aklan, supposedly a bailiwick of Roxas and the administration.

Duterte topped the presidential elections in the country’s prime tourist destination with 6,044 votes, 1,731 more than the 4,313 votes for Roxas. Sen. Grace Poe was third with 3,868 followed by Vice President Jejomar Binay (1,620) and Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago (571).

Duterte won in the three villages of the 1,032-hectare island—Yapak, Manoc-Manoc and Balabag—with 21,622 voters.

Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo, Roxas’ running mate, won on the island with 5,818 votes, followed by Senators Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (3,853), Francis Escudero (2,571), Alan Cayetano (2,444), Gregorio Honasan (526) and Antonio Trillanes IV (416).

Duterte also beat Roxas in Malay town, which has jurisdiction over Boracay. This is the only town out of 17 municipalities in Aklan where Roxas lost. Nestor P. Burgos Jr., Inquirer Visayas

Antique

Special polls in Antique over

MAXFIL Policar finally became mayor of Anini-y town, Antique province, after a special election in a precinct on Monday.

Policar (National Unity Party) widened his lead over Jobert Pahilga (Liberal Party) from 65 votes to 142 after the special election.

A special election was also held in a precinct in Barangay Insubuan in San Remigio town.

Results in the two special elections affected results in election for a seat in the provincial board.

Elections in the Antique precincts were not held on May 9 because of lack of ballots.

The special elections were originally set on May 14 but were moved to May 16 due to lack of guidelines. Nestor P. Burgos Jr., Inquirer Visayas

Misamis Oriental

NPA owns up to cult head’s slay

GINGOOG CITY—Communist New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas on Wednesday owned up to the killing of a retired policeman-turned-religious group founder in Gingoog City.

Allan Juanito, spokesperson of the NPA’s north central Mindanao command, said Francisco Baguiz was executed for “crimes against the people.”

The rebels said Baguiz had been involved in land grabbing and the killing of several people, including Marc Anthony Bagaipo, former councilor.

Baguiz, the NPA said, was also found to have posed as a communist guerrilla in robbery and extortion campaigns. The victim was also behind attacks on the NPA through the cult Gintong Araw,  the NPA statement said.

The statement was referring to Baguiz’s religious group Apocalypse International Ministry Inc., also known as Gintong Araw, based in Sitio Sioan in Barangay Malinao in Gingoog City.

The statement said rebels tried to execute Baguiz on Dec. 18, 2005 but he survived the attack.

The rebels said they would return to Baguiz’s family his personal belongings and cash.

SPO4 Teddy Macarayo, of the Gingoog police, said Baguiz was handcuffed and brought by the armed men to a secluded area, where he was stabbed four times. He did not reach the hospital alive. Jigger Jerusalem, Inquirer Mindanao