PAYLAGA PRIDES IN VOTE BUYING

By Frank E.  Dosdos, Jr.

PANAON, Misamis Occidental – The Mayor of this conservative, peace-loving municipality virtually takes pride in vote buying.

During the barangay elections last October 28, Mayor Francisco Paylaga, Jr. told a crew of a local TV network, “Tag 200 ray ilang gihatag, mas dako ang amoa (They gave only 200, ours was bigger).”

This incident was video recorded by the crew.

Former Mayor Miriam Paylaga, the Mayor’s wife, ran and won as Barangay Captain of Lutao, here.

Miriam’s opponent Nerolyn Cagaanan Galleros denied ever buying votes as she said that she wants the voluntarily will of the people to prevail.

The Mayor’s statement confirmed a teary-eyed housewife’s narration to this writer of an incident that happened in the morning of the day before the election.

She said that she had to leave her laundry when a Municipal Councilor close to the Mayor and the Municipal Treasurer fetched her at her residence together with other neighbors and brought to the residential compound of the Paylagas.

Inside, she was forced to accept two P500 bills by “Tata” the Vice Mayor Daughter of Paylaga with threats that if she will not vote for Miriam she would be (at this point “Tata” motioned with her forefinger cutting her neck.)

Still almost crying, the housewife showed the two P500 bills to a Video camera bearing team of reporters, later.

Reports of rampant threats, coercion, intimidation and harassment brought here a team of reporters from the Manggagawang Media ng Mindanao.

It was learned that goons allegedly brought in by the Mayor from Tangub City repeatedly passed on the road in front of Galleros in the evening before the last day of the barangay election campaign.

Leaders also said that at around 5:15 o’clock in the morning of October 26, the last day of the campaign, the white FORTUNER of Mayor Paylaga stopped for about 5 minutes in front of the gate of the house of Galleros and its occupants observed through a slightly opened window.

For fear of harm, Galleros was not able to come out of her residence and meet her followers the whole day.

Board Member Jim delos Santos of Misamis Occidental who visited Galleros at her residence in that afternoon was also harassed by a convoy of vans and motorcycles led by the white FORTUNER of Mayor Paylaga.

Attention of reporters in the vicinity was caught by the honking of the white FORTUNER and the following cars and motorcycles behind the vehicle of delos Santos at the junction of the municipal road from the house of Galleros and the National Highway.

The motorcycles tried to come abreast with delos Santos’ vehicle but missed it when he was able to move on to the National Highway toward the adjoining town of Jimenez where he lives.

Delos Santos told reporters later that the convoy kept on trying to overtake and block his way but were foiled by traffic from the opposite direction.

He said that the convoy left and turned back here when the chase was already 400 meters inside Jimenez jurisdiction.

He also claimed that one of the back-riders of the motorcycle trying to overtake him carried a long firearm.

The Newsmen also noted that one of the vehicles though old and worn following the white FORTUNER had “FOR REGISTRATION” plates.

Asked by this writer, Misamis Occidental LTO Chief Jonas Suizo said that old motor vehicles have license plates but “FOR REGISTRATION” plates are usually installed when these are used on illegal activities. 

On Election Day, in the presence of a local TV crew, while roaming around on his motorcycle to observe the conduct of the elections, Fr. Rolly G. Decena of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) was accosted by Mayor Paylaga and his daughter, the Vice Mayor.

The Vice Mayor said that Decena, using the Church, received P7 thousand from “Jim” and was roaming around so that he could collect the balance of P18 thousand of the P25 thousand contract.

Decena denied ever receiving money as he said that he was just doing a Shepherd’s job watching his flock amidst reports of rampant irregularities.

Mayor Paylaga admonished Newsmen to render not only negative reports but also the positive developments here such as the all-weather farm to market roads to the farthest barangay and the Power Plant being built.

He said that the Power Plant is being built up here because other Mayors in the province would not accept it.

A source revealed that the said Power Plant was built here for geographical reasons to balance supply delivery to the two Districts of the Misamis Occidental Electric Cooperative during peak demand hours.

As of the this writing Board Member delos Santos is set to bring the situation in this municipality to the general public through a privilege speech that he will deliver in the Sangguniang Panglalawigan.

On the other hand, Fr. Rolly Decena together with his brother priests are readying charges against the Paylagas for what many consider to be an affront not only to the Parish Priest but to the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) as an institution.