SUGBONGCOGON, Misamis Oriental — Mayoral candidate Chiz Lagbas and his sister, incumbent Mayor Mildred Lagbas-Mondigo, filed a complaint on May 9 against soldiers allegedly conducting unauthorized checkpoints in the hinterland barangays of Mimbuahan, Ampianga, Kidampas, and Kaulayanan.
The complaint, submitted to the municipal Commission on Elections (Comelec) office and the 58th Infantry Battalion (58IB), was formally lodged by National Unity Party (NUP) Sugbongcogon Chapter Chair Leonard Richie Bete last Friday.
Bete said members of the 58IB allegedly blocked vehicles headed to the upland barangays and forced individuals to open their bags at a checkpoint along the Mimbuahan-Ampianga road. He described the searches as “illegal” and said they were carried out without proper authorization.
“The identity of the soldiers involved has not yet been determined,” Bete added.
On May 10, Gold Star Daily visited the area and found no military personnel manning the checkpoint near Barangay Mimbuahan, roughly 1.5 kilometers from the national highway. Bete suggested the troops were likely on a lunch break at the time of the visit.
In their formal complaint, the local NUP chapter urged Comelec and the 58IB to “conduct an urgent and impartial investigation into these incidents.”
Police Maj. Joann Navarro, spokesperson for the Philippine National Police in Region 10, said it is routine to conduct searches during the election period, especially under the nationwide gun ban.
However, she clarified that searches by law enforcement and military personnel should be limited to visual inspections, as authorized by Comelec.
Bete said he lodged the complaint to formally express “grave concern” over what he called unlawful searches, citing a violation of Section 2, Article III of the 1987 Philippine Constitution.
“The constitutional guarantee against unreasonable searches and seizures is a cornerstone of the right to personal security,” Bete said.
