Isabela Burning: Dys Want to Keep Power Grip
Bombo Radyo closed anew 

Isabela is an agricultural province 300 kms north of Manila. Nothing from the place gets in the headlines except for the occasional armed guerrilla assaults. This election however, Isabela has proven to be one of the “hottest” in terms of election violence and fraud, with the Dys, a family that has ruled Isabela politics for decades, fighting for continued control.  

BY DABET castañeda
Bulatlat.com

At around 10 p.m. of May 11, day after the elections and when municipal canvassing was ongoing in most parts of the country, eight men armed with high-powered rifles barged into the canvassing area inside the municipal hall of San Mariano town, Isabela.

Policemen resisted and fighting ensued, resulting in the death of SPO3 Michael Artus and wounding of two others. The unidentified men burned some of the ballots as well as part of the townhall.

The church-based monitoring group Patriots said the men were suspected to be hired goons of the Dy family.

Meanwhile, a threat to burn the town’s public market has been circulating, increasing the tension in the area.

Challenged

A Northern Dispatch (Nordis) report said the children of the late Dy patriarch Faustino Sr. have been politically dominant for many years since the latter’s death in 1993.  Four of the late Dy’s sons are running for reelection:  Faustino Jr. for governor, Faustino III for congressman of District III, Alexander for mayor of San Mariano and Cesar for mayor in Cauayan.  A nephew, Benjamin Jr., is running for mayor of Angadanan.

The violence that has marked the elections in Isabela is not surprising as initial canvassing results show some members of the Dy clan in the verge of losing, including the family head Faustino Jr. who is running for governor.

Challenging him is Grace Padaca, a former Bombo Radio broadcaster and political neophyte who has led the fight against the Dy’s alleged use of guns and goons during a special election last year to select the replacement of the congressman in one of Isabela’s districts who passed away. 

Rage in San Mariano

It was reportedly Alexander Dy, who is seeking reelection as San Mariano’s chief executive, who threatened to have the public market burned if he loses in the elections.

At around 11 p.m. of May 11, a Patriots monitoring team in the province received reports that the municipality of Jones was also burned. 

“We decry this violence of the political dynasty in Isabela,” said Fr. Joe Dizon, one of the initiators of Patriots. Likewise, we demand the Comelec to take decisive actions on this incident and other election-related violence.”

A report by the radio program Ngayon na Bayan which airs on DZRJ, stated that there were other attempts of ballot box snatching in the towns of Quirino and Jones, perceived to be bailiwicks of Dy’s opponents.

Bombo Radyo closed anew

Radio station Bombo Radyo dzNC airing over Cauayan City in Isabela was ordered closed on Feb. 17 by the city government under Cesar Dy allegedly due to absence of permit.  However, on March 23, the Comelec ordered the city government to allow the radio station to continue its operations. 

But on the eve of election day, the Comelec set aside its earlier directive and again ordered the closure of the radio station which is known to be critical of the leadership of the Dys in the province. 

A message faxed to Bulatlat.com by the Bayan Muna provincial headquarters said the possible motive of the second closure is to prevent the radio station from reporting the irregularities in the elections. 

Thus, at midnight of May 10, a Jefferson Soriano of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Comelec Regional Director Hilario Sagun, and Sr. Superintendent Nelson Mario enforced the Comelec order to close the radio station. 

The station’s transmitter and cable generator were destroyed by a man who accompanied the team to enforce the closure order.

The Bayan Muna provincial headquarters reported that Mayor Dy denied having anything to do with the closure. 

In a telephone interview with Bulatlat.com, Charmy Sabigan, station manager of the Bombo Radyo, said they have kept the radio station operational despite being cut off the air. 

Sabigan said that while they are off-air, they are continuing the monitoring of the elections in the province.  They are airing their reports over Bombo Rayo radio station in Tuguegarao, Cagayan province. 

“We are guarded by 30 policemen to ensure that we don’t go on-air,” she said. 

“We are not allowed to go out of the station and our supporters are not allowed to go inside the station grounds,” she said.  Sabigan added that the station grounds are controlled by members of the PNP.  “Parang barracks nila ito” (They have turned this into a barracks), she said. 

The monitoring of the radio station shows that Faustino Jr. is tailing Grace Padacan by 20,000 votes in the gubernatorial race.  Alexander Dy is losing in the mayoralty race in San Mariano. 

Meanwhile, Cesar Dy and Faustino III are winning in their respective fields, the Bombo Radyo monitoring showed.  Bulatlat.com

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