Sixth District is not Dodge City

It was dramatic. The theatrical effort by the son and brother-in-law of the late Kabankalan RTC Judge Henry Arles to dramatize the assassination of their father does not necessarily mean that the district has become dangerous.

In fairness to Rep. Mercedes Alvarez, she has been going around unguarded but nothing has happened to her so far. Nor to the other key officials of the various LGU's of the district.

For one, when I recently motored to Sipalay City from Bacolod and vice versa, I was virtually unaccompanied except by a lady and another companion. Nothing happened to us.

And not only that, as a former frequenter of the area during the Seventies, I used to move around there with a hidden carbine under the seat of a Toyota Land Cruiser.

But nothing has happened to us. For several months I travelled the area, and nothing untoward happened.

If the purpose of Philip Britanico Arles and lawyer Frank Britanico was to call the attention of the President to the state of the affair in the district, I am sure that the first thing the President would ask for is the crime volume and the PNP reports on killing and assassinations. And these will not bear the imprint of what the two would have wanted to project to Malacañang.

That assassination of a judge does not necessarily mean that the entire district had become dangerous.

Local officials and news media workers would have been the first to bring this out to the public that perception has never been acknowledged by news media workers. Many had gone in and out of the town, Hinoba-an, and they had not noticed anything awry with the peace and order situation that could warrant calling the areas dangerous.

Let's not exaggerate, gentlemen, seek justice and call for a speedy trial of the case against the respondents including Ilog Mayor John Paul Alvarez, but do not dub the area as dangerous. That also sabotages the tourism development program of the province.

Hundreds of foreigners and local tourists have been frequenting Cauayan, Kabankalan, Sipalay, and Hinoba-an. And nothing has happened to them.

But scare tactics can impact on them later. And a wholesome program of the provincial government may drive away tourists and visitors.

In fairness, we must focus our attention on the Arles case and the eight indicted before the Sandiganbayan for the murder of the respected RTC judge.

So far, as I had earlier pointed out, the Commission on Human Rights probes who had met with Jessie Daguia, Alejandro Capunong, and Eddie Fortunado in the NBI HQ in Manila said they did not see any sign of torture.

I had earlier called for the CHR to send its investigators to interview the three at the NBI headquarters in Manila for protective custody.

The three, given the circumstances, would have been the first to denounce the NBI for torture, and the Arles sibling. But they did not do it.

The RPA-ABB, meanwhile, said they are coming up with their stand on the issue as soon as they complete their own investigation into the case, especially the alleged torture claim by families of the three suspects, all reportedly RPA-ABB members.

Vice Govenor Genaro Alvarez, on the other hand, refused to hand over Mayor Alvarez to the NBI because of the absence of an arrest warrant.

Neither did he give up his quest for election as governor of the UNA for Negros Occidental view Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr.

But he did not also slam the door shut for another run for reelection if that is the wish of the majority member of the UNA coalition.

Alvarez also claims that politics was behind the NBI findings, pointing out that Rep. Mercedes Alvarez had handily won over Arles' son, Philip, who ran for the sixth district post as congressman.

No intimidation can stop us,” Gov. Alvarez said, intimating that Rep. Mercedes is running for reelection.

How that case will affect the voting public of the province depends a lot on the course of the trial, if it ever starts soon. So far, there has been no arraignment of the accused by the Sandiganbayan.

But, by whatever persuasion, the case has already impacted on the public consciousness first, because there was the gun-slaying of Councilor Antonio Gequillana by Rayan Gatoc in front of the East View Hotel along the Circumferential Road in Barangay Villamonte.

Gatoc used to work for Alvarez.

Arles was shot four times when he reached his residence in a barangay in Ilog while going home from Kabankalan City on April 24.

So far, there has been no link between Gatoc and the Arles slaying based on the NBI investigation.

Still, the issue has become a prime one in the province. And the case can impact on the members of the UNA who are still to meet to pick their choice for gubernatorial candidate in the 2013 elections.

It is something that can affect the outcome of the 2013 bets' selection and the 2013 elections.*

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