BAGUIO CITY – Abra political group Asenso, led by Governor Dominic Valera and his daughter, Vice Governor Joy Valera-Bernos, asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to place the province under its control for the May 12 elections.
“By placing Abra under Comelec control, we feel more secured that our supporters can walk freely in a peaceful political environment without fear,” Bernos said in a statement submitted to the Comelec on Monday.
Putting Abra under Comelec control, she said, “will allow the deployment of additional personnel, the establishment of monitoring systems and the enforcement of strict regulations to prevent any form of electoral fraud or violence.”
The statement enumerated killings in the province that started in August 2024 and prompted the reactivation of Task Force Abra.
The Abra Police Provincial Office, in a report to the Regional Peace and Order Council, said that from the start of the election period on Jan. 12 to March 29, there were 18 shootings that left 12 dead and 18 injured.
There were also four grenade-throwing incidents during the period, the police report said.
The Asenso statement said the police report does not even include threats, intimidations and harassments.
The Concerned Citizens of Abra for Good Government, with Catholic Bishop Leopoldo Jaucian as among its leaders, has also asked the Comelec to place Abra under the poll body’s control to allay the fears of residents amid the spate of violence.
Abra is divided into two major political groups, Asenso and Progreso group, which is led by Bernos’ brother-in-law, La Paz Mayor Joseph Santo Niño Bernos. **Liza Agoot
