Top officials of the Commission on Elections flew in to Dumaguete City Saturday to hone their shooting skills in a Comelec-sponsored competition.

Lawyer Eddie Aba, provincial election supervisor of Negros Oriental, said the competition, held at the Dumaguete Shootists Association pistol range in barangay Looc, Sibulan town, was participated in by national executives, regional directors and provincial election supervisors.

Retired B/Gen. Edgardo Gurrea, chief of staff of Chairman Jose Melo and Executive Director Jose Tolentino Jr. of COMELEC led the list of Comelec officials who joined the shootfest, the first competition of its kind this year, supervised by the Dumaguete Shootists Association.

The idea to hold a shooting competition for Comelec officials came two years after a group of Comelec officials in Negros Oriental banded together to form the Negros Oriental Comelec Shooters Association.

Roberto Remolano, NOCSA president and election officer of Sibulan, some six kilometers north of Dumaguete City, said they formed the association so they could learn how to use firearms.

“We are usually assigned to task forces during election time and we are assigned firearms. It would be useless to carry them if we are not proficient in using them,” Remolano said.

He, however, said most Comelec officials are not “serious shooters.”

Also joining the shootfest were Directors Renato Magbutay of Region 9, Danilo Pobe of Caraga, Michael Abbas – Region 12, Remlane Tambuang – Region 11, Assistant Regional Executive Director for Region 7 Veronico Petalcorin, Director Teopisto Elnas of the Election and Barangay Affairs Department and Director Bartolome Sino-Cruz Jr., deputy executive director for operations.

Provincial election supervisors Leandro Magusara of Siquijor, Lionel Castillero of Cebu and Eliseo Labaria of Bohol also joined the tournament, Aba said.*AP

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