By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Isabela Mayor Joselito Malabor said local police had to be deployed last Monday after political rivalries caused tension during the town’s recent Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) elections at the ABC Liga Hall.

Elections eventually went ahead shortly before lunch, where Rumirang Barangay Captain Antonio Medenceles defeated Barangay 7 Captain Reden Decena, earning 17 out of 30 votes.

“In the name of public service to the people of Isabela, I will set aside our political differences,” the mayor stated.

Medenceles previously served as running mate with the late Mayor Enrique Montilla III, whom Malabor defeated in the 2016 election.

Meanwhile, the mayor also discussed the 11 local barangay captains who face election complaints with the Office of the Ombudsman, due to vote buying and illegal postering during the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections last May.

Without naming those involved, Malabor said they were still eligible to vote in Monday’s election./DGB, WDJ