Seven dead in Philippine election-day violence | Inquirer News

Seven dead in Philippine election-day violence

/ 06:51 PM May 13, 2013

MANILA, Philippines — At least seven people were killed while a presidential aide survived an ambush during mid-term elections in the Philippines on Monday, authorities said.

The Philippines is infamous for a brutal brand of democracy in which politicians — particularly at local and provincial level — are willing to bribe, intimidate or kill to ensure they win.

All of the deaths on Monday were in the violence-plagued south, where a Muslim separatist insurgency has been waged for decades and political warlords employ private armies.

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In the most violent incident, supporters of rival candidates for mayor on a small southern island in the Sulu archipelago opened fire on each other, leaving three combatants dead, local police and a military spokesman said.

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Unidentified gunmen opened fire on a vehicle carrying voters on the nearby island of Jolo, killing the driver and wounding four passengers, said provincial police chief Senior Superintendent Antonio Freyra.

Three supporters of a local candidate were killed and eight wounded by unidentified gunmen in another attack in Zamboanga del Sur, a separate province in the south, the regional military chief said.

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Meanwhile, President Benigno Aquino’s political adviser, Manuel Mamba, escaped unharmed after his convoy was attacked in the northern town of Alcala, presidential spokesman Ramon Carandang said.

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He said Mamba was in the area to support a brother who was a candidate for provincial governor under Aquino’s Liberal Party.

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Mamba, in a radio interview in Manila, said he saw his brother’s rival brandishing an AK-47 assault rifle as his convoy passed on the national highway.

He said he then heard shots which hit one of the vehicles in the convoy.

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More than 60 people had already been killed in the lead-up to the elections, in which more than 18,000 positions — from town mayors and provincial governors to members of the nation’s legislature — are being contested.

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TAGS: Philippines, Violence

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