At least 70 provincial and congressional candidates have confirmed their attendance in the election peace covenant set Friday at the historic Our Lady of Pillar Parish-Imus Cathedral.

However, Governor Ayong S. Maliksi and some Liberal Party (LP) candidates have confirmed that they are not attending the traditional event, organizers said.

The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), the prime organizer of the event and Bishop Luis Antonio G. Tagle of the Imus diocese, said they respect the decision of Maliksi and his partymates.

Maliksi and other LP provincial, congressional and mayoral candidates have signed a “manifesto of dissent” due to the designation of a provincial police director without any consultation with the capitol.

The governor and at least 37 LP provincial and mayoral candidates have signed the manifesto in a gathering at Villa Emilia, the governor’s farm, in Imus last Wednesday.

The signing of the peace covenant is set after the ecumenical mass that will be led by Bishop Tagle at 7:30 a.m. Friday. The covenant was organized by the PPCRV, some members of the media and the Cavite Provincial Police Office (CPPO) led by Senior Supt. Primitivo T. Tabujara Jr.

Invited to the occasion are all candidates vying for the gubernatorial and vice gubernatorial positions and provincial and congressional seats, PPCRV Chairman Tita de Villa, Chief Supt. Rolando Añonuevo, Region 4-A (Cavite-Laguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon) office director and other officials.

The PPCRV prepared the covenant program. The covenant was organized and the preparations were made in meetings held at the CPPO headquarters in Imus town.