FOR PEACEFUL POLLS Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas (second from left), president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, leads a group of church workers and parishioners in Dagupan City in prayers and a candle lighting ceremony for clean and peaceful elections. WILLIE LOMIBAO / Inquirer Northern Luzon
Police have placed several areas around the country under close monitoring as politically motivated attacks claimed the lives of two candidates for mayor in Isabela and Bukidnon provinces and incidents of violence among rival groups were reported just days before Monday’s national elections.
Election officials focused their attention on the gun attack on a Liberal Party (LP) campaign group in Jones, Isabela, where three people were killed, and on reports of vote-buying and guns being fired in Abra province.
Jones town and Abra are under the control of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
The police went after 15 armed men who killed on Saturday three supporters of LP mayoral candidate Melanie Uy. Two other supporters were wounded.
The victims were on their way to a campaign sortie in Namnama village in Jones at 8 a.m. when they were waylaid.
On April 13, communist rebels had claimed responsibility for killing Jones Vice Mayor Ronaldo Lucas, shortly after they detained his supporters who were campaigning in the town’s interior villages.
Lucas was serving the remaining term of Vice Mayor Florante Raspado, who was murdered inside the town hall in April last year.
On April 14, gunmen shot dead Heinrich Apostol, a Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) candidate for town councilor.
Uy intended to run for vice mayor with Raspado but she chose to run for mayor with Raspado’s widow, Evelyn, as her running mate.
Tight security
In Abra, the Comelec received reports of vote-buying and supporters of candidates scaring voters in remote towns.
Abra has become notorious for political killings in previous elections, many of them committed by private armies allegedly hired by political families there.
The police tightened security over Nueva Ecija, another election hot spot.
At 1 a.m. on Sunday in Talavera town, a grenade was lobbed at the house of former Vice Mayor Vince de Leon, damaging a vehicle.
Violent incidents, which authorities said could be election-related, were also reported in provinces in Mindanao amid tightened security.
In Tamparan, Lanao del Sur, at least two persons were killed while nine others were wounded when armed men ambushed a convoy of suspected flying voters on Saturday.
Also on Saturday, unidentified men killed Armando Ceballos, an independent mayoral candidate in Lantapan town in Bukidnon province.
In Davao City, Chief Supt. Manuel Gaerlan, Southern Mindanao police director, announced the formation of a special investigation task force to handle the investigation of Tuesday’s killing of Altavista village chair Edison Alisoso and the wounding of tribal chieftain Emelito Angga.
In Sta. Maria, Davao Occidental, Sangguniang Bayan candidate and Kisulad village chair Wifredo Albarracin Cernal said he and his family survived an ambush while they were on their way home from a rally on Saturday night.
Tension in Palawan
Four people have been killed and at least three others wounded in pockets of political violence in provinces in Southern Luzon just days before the national elections.
In Palawan province, two supporters of Puerto Princesa City Mayor Lucilo Bayron and former provincial information officer Gil Acosta were killed in separate clashes with supporters of their rivals.
Continuing tension in the mayoral and congressional races have prompted police to increase their presence in Puerto Princesa, Palawan’s capital city.
A joint security task group convened by the 3rd Marine Brigade on Saturday placed Puerto Princesa City and the town of Bataraza on its watch list for potential violence in the run up to the elections.
In Batangas province, a reelectionist councilor in Tanauan City was killed while his security aide was wounded when they were shot by a lone gunman while they were meeting with leaders of a tricycle drivers’ group on Friday night.
On Thursday night, a security aide of a candidate for vice mayor in Mataas na Kahoy town in Batangas was also killed. Later that night, police arrested 10 men in Barangay Santol in Mataas na Kahoy after police found guns in their possession.
In Quezon province, a policeman was wounded when he was hit by a stray bullet after supporters of a mayoral candidate in Mulanay town fired at a vehicle carrying supporters of another candidate on Saturday afternoon, police said.
In Camarines Sur province, police on Sunday seized at least 27 firearms in a raid on the house of a village chief in Iriga City.
Rebel attack
In the Visayas, a man was shot and killed in front of the house of Sta. Fe Mayor Jose Esgana in Barangay Talisay on Bantayan Island on Saturday night.The police, however, had yet to determine if the killing of Gilbert Garcia Delima, whose body was dragged into the mayor’s compound, was election-related.
Security personnel were in full alert in Eastern Visayas amid an ambush staged by communist rebels in Northern Samar that killed a soldier on Saturday.
A group of soldiers was heading back to an Army base in Catubig town, Northern Samar after delivering vote counting machines to Mapanas town when they were ambushed in Gamay town.
The Eastern Visayas regional police sent an additional 121 personnel to the provinces of Leyte, Samar and Northern Samar which are considered “flash points” during elections.
Ready for polls
More than 7,500 soldiers and government militiamen were sent by the military to the three regions of Southern Luzon to help the police ensure orderly elections today.
In Datu Odin Sinsuat in Maguindanao, the 6th Infantry Division, which has jurisdiction over several Central Mindanao areas and Maguindanao, said it has formed an elite rapid deployment team to respond to incidents of violence, said Capt. Jo-Ann Petinglay, the unit’s spokesperson.
Reports from Villamor Visaya Jr., Kimberlie Quitasol, Melvin Gascon, Vincent Cabreza, Armand Galang, Redempto Anda, Mar Arguelles, Kimmy Baraoidan, Shiena Barrameda, Maricar Cinco, Juan Escandor Jr., Mayda Lagran, Jofel Joyce Lancion, Delfin Mallari Jr., Marrah Erika Rabe, Nestor Burgos Jr., Joey Gabieta, Jhunnex Napallacan, Jose Santino Bunachita, Jennifer Allegado, Jeoffrey Maitem, Richel Umel, Williamor Magbanua, Jigger Jerusalem, Julie Alipala, Judy Quiros and Frinston Lim