Barangay and SK elections generally peaceful – PNP

By Ronron
October 29, 2007

Monday’s election for barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials was generally peaceful, noting fewer violent incidents compared to the similar polls in 2002, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said yesterday afternoon.

According to PNP chief Gen. Avelino Razon, Jr., the casting of votes yesterday from 7am until 3pm went smoothly, except for some delays in the transport of election materials and the start of voting in a few areas due to unexpected incidents, and a few election-related violent incidents (ERVI’s).

“The overall assessment that we got was that we had a very peaceful and orderly barangay elections… The 2007 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections will probably go down in history as the most peaceful and widely participated electoral exercise in recent years,” Razon said in a news conference late Monday afternoon at Camp Crame, Quezon City.

For the day, a total of seven ERVI’s were recorded by the PNP, bringing to 48 the running total of ERVI’s since the start of the election season last September 29. The election period will be over on November 13.

Razon said the 48 ERVI figure is smaller than the 159 ERVI’s recorded during the 2002 barangay and SK polls.

The number of deaths and injured persons so far in this year’s barangay polls, which are 25 and 22, respectively, is likewise way below the figure of 75 persons killed and 69 others wounded in the similar activity in 2002.

Of the 25 killed this year, six are barangay chairman candidates, two are barangay councilor candidates, seven are incumbent barangay officials, three are government officials, and seven others are civilians.

Of the 22 wounded, four are barangay chairman candidates, one is a barangay councilor candidate, seven are incumbent barangay officials, and 10 are civilians.

There is also one person missing in this year’s barangay polls, a barangay captain candidate who was allegedly abducted in Basey, Samar last October 25 by suspected New People’s Army (NPA) members. The victim was identified as Elizabeth Gutierrez.

According to Razon, the two election-related fatalities yesterday were a barangay captain candidate and his supporter who were shot at around 12:45 pm in Isabela City, Basilan.

The victims, identified as Basher Maharan, and his supporter known only as Hasan, were at the Badjao School Compound in Barangay Tampalan, Malamawi Island, when shot to death by an unidentified suspect.

Razon said the suspect was apprehended, and recovered from him were two M16 rifles.

Another significant ERVI yesterday was the shooting of another barangay captain reelectionist in Akbar town of same province, although the victim survived.

In a text message, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Police director Chief Supt. Joel Goltiao said Hadji Alih Salasim, the incumbent chairman of Barangay Manggusu in Akbar, was shot at around 1am yesterday by an unidentified suspect.

“He was at the gate of Central Elementary School of Lamitan City in Basilan, waiting to escort the ballots to be brought to Akbar Municipality, when shot,” Goltiao said of Salasim.

Salasim was brought to the St. Peter Hospital where he was reported to be in critical condition.

Three hours later, another significant incident in Nueva Ecija province was reported to police, this time, a fire that ate up a school building allegedly because of an electrical problem.

Sr. Supt. Agripino Javier, provincial police director of Nueva Ecija, said a six-room building of the Tanauan Elementary School in Barangay Malbang, Pantabangan was gutted down, although it did not affect the elections there.

There was no casualty in the incident that lasted up to 6am, said Region 3 Police Director Chief Supt. Errol Pan.

“There are no indications that there were people who went inside the building prior to the blaze. There was no evidence recovered also as far as materials used in starting a fire like kerosene,” Javier told Camp Crame reporters.

“The Bureau of Fire is investigating the incident and the initial angle they are looking at is the overloading of electricity. But it’s not yet final. We are not taking that yet because it is not supported by facts,” he added.

But Pan said they are looking into the allegations of the incumbent barangay chairman of Malbang, identified as Danilo Pineda, that his rival, Barangay chairman candidate Loreto Huerta, was responsible for the incident.

“We are investigating the allegations of Mr. Pineda,” Pan said in a phone interview.

Javier said the fire did not cause an interruption in the voting process as the voters assigned there were just transferred to other school buildings.

In Metro Manila, the elections was also generally peaceful although there were incidents of cheating and minor violence, said National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Geary Barias.

Barias said there were flying voters, vote buyers and gun totters who were apprehended from different areas in the capital.

He said five suspected flying voters were apprehended in Quezon City, one in Navotas, and 34 in Pasay City.

The incident in Pasay City resulted in the declaration of a failure of election in nine precincts in Barangay 76, affecting over 200 voters.

In Caloocan City and Malabon City, police caught a suspected vote-buyer in each, while in San Juan City, a man was nabbed for alleged gun-totting incident.

There were also two separate incidents of mauling in Quezon City and Makati City, Barias said.

But so far, the NCR remains to have a zero record as far as ERVI’s is concerned.

Delay in start of the voting process were reported in some areas in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and the Bicol Region due to the weather and late arrival of members of the Board of Election Inspectors.

But in a few areas in Sulu, Shariff Kabunsuan, Lanao del Sur and Northern Samar, there were failures of election declarations, PNP Directorate for Operations head Chief Supt. Silverio Alarcio said.

“The generally peaceful outcome of the nationwide exercise today is largely due to the efforts of the Commission on Elections in instituting reforms in the electoral system with the assistance of the PNP, AFP, local government units, and NGO’s, and cooperation of the citizens,” Razon said.

Razon said that as of yesterday afternoon, 348 persons were apprehended for violating the gun ban, resulting in the confiscation of 303 firearms, eight explosives, 53 deadly weapons and 3,099 ammunitions.

The PNP chief said the police will not let down their guard in the coming hours and days as the election process proceed to the counting and canvassing of votes. There are around 73,000 security personnel, that include those from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, spread all over the country to secure the elections.

“We are still on full alert in spite of the close of the polls. We will continue maybe up to tomorrow… Hopefully, we will be able to maintain the situation that we saw today with the polls already closed, voting done and counting already in progress or just started,” Razon said.

He said they will continue to monitor the more than 4,000 barangays that are at risk of being influenced by communist insurgents and other threat groups from southern Philippines even if they have not significantly made their presence felt in yesterday’s voting.

“I am giving instruction to all field units to intensify security operations until after the counting and proclamation of winners are completed especially in areas where the start of elections had been delayed,” Razon said./DMS