PEACEFUL TOWN. Taft, Eastern Samar Mayor Marian June Libanan denied reports of an attempt to kidnap the Gayam village chief. The mayor assured their town is peaceful and orderly with no case of election-related violence this poll season. (Photo from Facebook page of Taft, Eastern Samar Mayor Marian June Libanan)
TACLOBAN CITY -- A mayor in Eastern Samar said their small town remains generally peaceful despite the “fabricated” reports of an attempt to kidnap a village chief.
Reacting to recent posts of the kidnapping try on social media, Taft Mayor Marian June Libanan called the accusations of Eastern Samar Lone District Rep. Ben Evardone as baseless.
“Based on their story, there are inconsistencies on the report of a kidnapping. No one would dare to kidnap Gayam village chief Rodrigo Cofuentes since his house is close to a camp of the Army 52nd Infantry Battalion,” Libanan said in a media interview Friday.
On May 3, Cofuentes’ wife reported to policemen that a group of armed men invited the village official to Evardone’s house late at night.
In his Facebook post, the congressman labeled the kidnap try as a desperate move of the mayor’s camp.
“The wife of the barangay (village) chairman said that the goons used my name in inviting her husband. Sensing danger and that it was very (un)usual for me to invite her husband in an unholy hour even as he is a strong supporter of mine, she told them that her husband was not around,” Evardone said in the post.
Libanan denied the accusation, saying that they don’t need to kidnap a village official to earn more votes.
“Cofuentes controls a village with the smallest voting population in our town. There’s no point of kidnapping him since 17 out of 24 village chiefs are supporting my reelection. These 17 villages have larger voting population(s),” she added.
The mayor assured that their town is peaceful and orderly with no case of election-related violence this poll season.
“We have done a lot to improve the peace and order situation. I hope candidates will be responsible on their social media posts,” she added.
The Philippine News Agency (PNA) tried to call Evardone by phone, but to no avail. The legislator also failed to respond to messages sent to his phone and on his official Facebook account.
Libanan, is the daughter of former Eastern Samar Rep. Marcelino Libanan, whose son-in-law, suspended Guiuan town Mayor Sheen Gonzales, who is running as congressman against Borongan City Mayor Fe Abunda, Evardone’s political ally.
Evardone is running as governor under the ruling party against incumbent Marcelo Ferdinand Picardal of the Nacionalista Party, Libanan’s party mate. (PNA)
