Taken from a friend's Facebook account, but he asked to keep it anonymous for his own protection. Mods please move this to where you think it is appropriate.
I am saddened by the fact that even though a modernized and automated election has been implemented, there are still some people that still manage to win despite blatant evidence that they have lost the elections. I'm not talking about ordinary cheating; this time, I'm talking about people using the force of arms to force their victory upon the people.
Since the Holy Week this year, I have been itching to post this story for everyone to read but my relatives have warned me not to because 1. I have posted my name in Facebook and 2. They fear for my life as well as theirs. But the truth is, I have borne witness to a great injustice that tries to be a smaller replica of the days when Marcos was in power over the whole Philippines. I'm talking about an age of an iron hand rule and a clear intent to remain power using whatever means possible. I'm talking about a politician that are willing to trample on other people's right in a very blatant manner just to stay in power and escape legal repercussions.
Everyone knows that I stay in Pulupandan, Negros Occidental every year for my summer vacation. Since I was in fifth grade, I have considered that place to be a very peaceful and lively place to be in. However, things changed since the day that this man was elected to the mayoralty through illicit means: Mayor Magdaleno Peņa, the same guy who had been embroiled in a wife beating issue with Plinky Recto years ago.
Mr. Peņa has shown all along that he will rule things through an iron hand. Personal life and marital matters don't make a difference. Since he has succeeded in his decades-long desire to become mayor of Pulupandan, Mr. Peņa has changed the environment of Pulupandan. No longer is it the same peaceful yet lively municipality that I have been to since my childhood, but its environment is more or less the same as the one that my grandparents and parents must have endured during Martial Law from 1972-1986.
It's a feeling that you can't say what you want to say unless it's behind your own doors, but then you have to keep your voice low. You don't have the freedom of expression that you have normally. If you do try to break that, you have your parents or siblings tell you to keep your voice down. It's a feeling of an environmental where your freedom is utterly controlled and restricted.
Mr. Peņa has utterly monopolized the governance of Pulupandan by laying claim to the ownership of lands owned by his cronies. Several people squat on these lands, and they have no choice but to support Mr. Peņa. However, despite that, he has demolished several houses because some people have shown disapproval over his policies or maybe because it's simply caused by his own whim.
He even posted signs in several plots of land the last time I was there, proclaiming that the land is privately owned and that no one is allowed to trespass there especially Mondia supporters. Mondia is the family name of the last mayor before Mr. Peņa came into office, and constitutes an opposition to his government. I have taken no pictures of those signs because my relatives warned me not to. Mr. Peņa obviously has eyes all around that discreetly you couldn't take a picture without anyone noticing.
The greatest injustice that Mr. Peņa has committed against the Pulupandanons is to force his victory in the recent elections. News have reached me that in majority of the barangays the opposition has won through landslide, but then you're surprised that in the next morning Mr. Magdaleno Peņa has been proclaimed the winner of the election.
All of this points to one thing: Mr. Peņa has resorted to force. My cousins have attested to the intimidation that he has projected upon the Commission of Elections as well as the media in Pulupandan, hoping that nobody will be able to expose his wrongdoings to the people of the municipality. He has, however, overlooked one thing: the power of the Internet.
I am posting this in the hope that someone will help expose the injustice that Mr. Magdaleno Peņa has wrought upon the people of Pulupandan.
Please Help the People of Pulupandan, Negros Occidental!
Originally Posted by jun2x
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