STRUGGLING through bad publicity thrown in its way into the homestretch, the Provincial and Municipal Coordinating Council for Clean, Honest and Peaceful Elections (CCCHOPE), emerged fairly unscathed to peg their aim of a successful election.
No less than the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) acknowledged this during the recent joint meeting held at the Bohol Tropics, June 14.
Council Chairman Governor Erico Aumentado and Interior and Local Government Provincial Director Rustical Mascarinas joined in handing out awards of recognition for each of Bohol’s 47 town mayors and Tagbilaran city, including their local government operations officers for leading local councils to ensure the conduct of free, clean, honest and peaceful elections.
Also receiving recognitions were town police chiefs and their stations, as well as the integral units of the army, for their relentless drive in ensuring that people go out to vote freely without intimidation by pressure groups.
It may be recalled that political camps accused the Provincial and municipal CCHOPE of bias in as much as they believed PPOC organized council was a brainchild of the governor, who will be throwing his hat in the second district.
Immediately after the establishment of the PCCCHOPE and the succeeding town coordinating councils, several news items made their way to the news.
Majority of them accuse police of harassment, especially in the towns placed by the Commission on Elections under its watch-list.
Several groups assumes that the scheduled police augmentation which came on the eve of the establishment of the PCCHOPE indicate that the governor had a hand in pulling more police units in.
Earlier, there were reports of armed men believed to be groups roaming in Bohol’s second district.
Not any moment later, at the exchange of accusations of bias and using position to advance political motives, Boholanos were shocked at the eventual relief of police provincial director Anthony Obenza.
PSSupt. Obenza, who has his roots in Talibon Bohol could not warm his seat as provincial police director before his relief came into effect. He was an Aumentado appointee.
But even with the damaging accusations besmirching the credibility of the PPOC organized council, elections, according to police and military assessments run peacefully and added that the objectives of the CCHOPE were generally attained. (PIA-Bohol)
