VICTIM. Village chief Manuel Lim of Barangay Tagabuli in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur files a complaint for harassment at a police station on Feb. 7, 2022. He claimed three unidentified men approached him three days earlier and warned him to stay out of politics or his family will get into trouble. (Photo courtesy of Aiai Aponar)
DAVAO CITY – Some village leaders in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur cried foul over alleged harassment by still unidentified suspects after they expressed support for a certain mayoralty candidate.
In a statement sent to the Philippine News Agency on Sunday, Barangay Tagabuli chief Manuel Lim, also president of the Association of Barangay Captains, said he was among those harassed.
He could only link the incident to politics.
“It really has something to do with the upcoming elections,” he said.
Lim bared that three men on two motorcycles approached him on February 4 at aroun 4:30 p.m. and warned him to stay out of politics to spare his family from troubles.
He does not know the suspects.
The following day, he received a similar threat through text message from an unknown sender, prompting him to file a complaint and seek protection from the Philippine National Police.
“I was confused about what he really meant as he said he is just in the corner, always on the lookout,” Lim said.
Lim, however, asserted his right to support whom he likes.
"They can harass me all they want. Just don’t include my family,” he said.
Lim also confirmed that village chiefs from Barangays Coronon and Tuban have the same experience.
He said they will issue a resolution, addressed to the PNP and Armed Forces of the Philippines, to strengthen and heighten monitoring and checkpoint operations to counter such incidents.
Zone-1 village chief Ricky Taylaran backed Lim.
“Let us just follow whom the people root for,” he said in the same statement.
Councilor Jose Nelson Sala, whom the village chiefs support, called the incident a desperate move.
“Do not threaten the barangay captains for they are only exercising their right to choose whoever they want to lead them,” he said in a Facebook post on Sunday, challenging the perpetrators to hit him instead. (PNA)
