Hi Juan just to follow up he was back at his house now, they had found firearm and confiscate and was escorted by NBI for questioning, it would be a very big sensational news if this happened in Singapore! probably the end of that guy political career and maybe spend the rest of his life in prison if he manage to escape the gallows, But in Philippine almost routine ritual “In English they say all is fair in love and war and in election,”, In Singapore they had these catch phrase about our guys in politics they should "walk the talk. Similarly in Gamu on the ground I realized the common voter or common folk like us was not much different in Singapore or Philippine. They want result not talk and empty promises to improve their way of life. However the expectation might be higher since the infrastructure already been so well developed in Singapore. In Gamu the mayor during his term had many improvement in the infrastructure like road, Community health center, Nawas project (water project). He had such a strong endorsement he will be Mayor again for this coming election without doubt.
Posted by: juanbantay on May 08, 2010
GAMU, ISABELA MAYOR ARRESTED..
The Mayor of Gamu, Isabela, Fernando "ANDU" Cumigad, was arrested by a composite team of CIDG, PNP for violating the Comelec Ban of maintaining goons and high powered firearm similar to the ones confiscated from the Ampatuan's of Mindanao. The Mayor is presently detained at the CIDG office.
Police raids raise tension in towns
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Inquirer Politics, Politics, Election Violence, Elections
GAMU, ISABELA, Philippines—Tension rose in two towns in Cagayan Valley as policemen and soldiers searched for firearms in the houses of officials in Tuao, Cagayan, and in this town on Saturday, two days before the elections.
In the search done in the house of Gamu Mayor Fernando Cumigad, police found at least 11 guns. Armed with a search warrant issued by Executive Judge Raul Babaran of the Cauayan City regional trial court, police found three M-16 rifles, three shotguns, an M-14 rifle, three 9mm pistols, a .45 cal. gun, nine rifle grenades and bullets in Cumigad’s house.
Cumigad was arrested but he denounced the search as “illegal.” He said the firearms have corresponding licenses. “This is sheer harassment because of our [political] beliefs. We are innocent,” he said.
People power
About 200 supporters of Cumigad and 100 supporters of his rival, Alfredo Burkley, gathered in front of the mayor’s compound as policemen searched the premises. About 100 policemen secured the area.
Earlier, policemen recovered an M-16 rifle from a compound of a cable television station owned by Cumigad.
In Cagayan, policemen on Saturday tried to serve a search warrant to look for firearms in the family compound of brothers Cagayan Rep. Manuel Mamba and Mayor William Mamba in Barangay Naruangan in Tuao.
Representative Mamba, who is running for Cagayan governor, said about 200 policemen showed up outside the family compound at 5:30 a.m. and presented a search warrant issued by Judge Edmar Castillo.
Resistance
But Mamba refused to allow the policemen to search the premises and instead asked local reporters to tour the compound.
“I’ll die first before I let them (policemen) search my house,” Mamba told the Inquirer by telephone. He said he showed reporters all his cabinets and closets “but they did not find a single bullet.”
Mamba described the incident as harassment and appealed to police officials in Cagayan to be impartial.
Senior Supt. Moro Virgilio Lazo, Cagayan police director, said they were not siding with any politician and were just doing their job.
Last week, at least 16 supporters of Mayor Mamba were charged with murder and violation of the election gun ban following the killing of a campaign coordinator of the mayor’s rival on May 1.
Frame up
Representative Mamba said the 16 men were framed up by the family’s political rivals. “We are open to any investigation. We will let justice run its course in this case. We believe that our supporters are innocent,” he said.
In Abra, police on Friday recovered at least two guns, bullets and military uniforms from a hut behind a polling precinct in Dolores town.
Reports from the Cordillera police said before the discovery of the guns, policemen responded to a commotion in Barangay Calumbaya.
People in Calumbaya scampered after they heard a gunshot while the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines were being delivered to polling precincts in the village at past 2 p.m. Police failed to find the suspect in the gun firing.
In the search, police recovered a .38 cal. pistol, a shotgun, bullets, traveling bags containing Army uniforms and a cellular phone.
Police said the PCOS machines were not damaged after the commotion and have been delivered to the board of election inspectors in Dolores. Reports from Villamor Visaya Jr., Desiree Caluza and Elmer Kristian Dauigoy, Inquirer Northern Luzon
