Mirasol is the winner

The Commission on Elections yesterday declared Binalbagan Mayor Alejandro (Bebot) Mirasol as the winner in the election for congressman of the Fifth District vacated by the death of the late Rep. Ignacio Arroyo Jr.

Mirasol convincingly beat Board Member Dino Yulo III by 81,982 votes against the latter’s 68,879.

That showed the combined strength of the Liberal Party and the United Negros Alliance as convincingly the dominant power center of the Fifth District.

To Bebot, our best wishes. And to Dino our message, the next round may be worth a try.

The last minute shift of support by Enrique Montilla, president of the Binalbagan-Isabela Planters Association, failed to stem the tide favoring Mirasol. The Binalbagan mayor is a low-key local executive who prefers his achievements to speak for themselves. The fact that he had transformed Binalbagan into one of the most progressive and dynamic towns of the Fifth District appears to have boosted Mirasol’s choice.

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Still, the most electrifying news is the report about involvement of a Cadiz City district supervisor inducing two teenagers, both reportedly high school students, of Caduhaan, Cadiz City to use shabu before sexually assaulting them.

The two boys were reported in the DAILY STAR to have been rescued from an alleged drug den in Brgy. Banago Thursday where they had been brought by Joshua Santillana, 48, of Fortune Towne Subdivision in Brgy. Villamonte, by the BCPO Special Operations group, headed by Supt. Santiago Rapiz.

The names of the teenagers, both aged 16, were withheld from publication by the police.

Santillana, Caduhaan district supervisor, was kept under the police custody. He was subjected to a drug test pending the filing of the charges against him. The two young boys were also to be tested for drug use.

The results of the drug test will be announced soon by the police.

The rescue of the two teenagers sort of confirmed reports received by the PDEA that there are some education teachers in both private and public schools who are also engaged in drug selling and peddling.

But Santillana is not off the hook. He is also facing administrative charges from the Education Department.

The children were rescued from the house of Rommel Navarra of Purok Maabi-abihon in Banago. They had just used the drug shabu when they were rescued by the police Thursday.

In the same raid, reports said, police also arrested Rey Torrico, 27, of Cadiz City, Hens Cortez, 30, Mark Himongala, 25, both of Silay City. Also nabbed was Omra dela Fuentes, of Brgy. Nami-Nami in Banago.

We hope that the Santillana arrest will just be the predecessor in the police crack-down on mentors involved in drug selling and inducing young children to use illegal drugs.

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Meanwhile, we are watching for the report from Chief Supt. Leonardo Espina, HPG director, which shops in Bacolod and which persons were involved in the nationwide carnapping syndicate through the tampering, repainting and detailing work to give stolen vehicles from Luzon a new look. These include forged documents, facilitation to give the cars anidentity before they are offered for sale by used car dealers here and in cities of Visayas and Mindanao.

It is not enough to confiscate the stolen vehicles. More important is for the police to pinpoint who are their cohorts locally, and to have them charged also for their participations in the nefarious practice.

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We just want to know from Nonoy Lopez what agreements, if any, had transpired between city authorities and the Lopez family over the remaining balance of the sale of property which has been converted into the city dump.

Just asking.*

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