PNP remains vigilant as poll violence persists

MANILA, Philippines - With yesterday’s vote generally orderly, the Philippine National Police (PNP) remains vigilant and is hoping the peaceful trend will prevail until the end of the election period on Nov. 12.

On election day itself, the PNP recorded the killing of several persons in Negros Occidental, burning of a school building in Maguindanao, and a ballot-snatching incident in Basilan.

“On the conduct of the voting, the general assessment is peaceful. We are keeping our vigilance in the canvassing,” said Senior Superintendent Reuben Theodore Sindac, PNP Pubic Information Office chief.

PNP Deputy Director General Felipe Rojas Jr., head of the National Task Group for SAFE 2013-Alpha, said the election proceedings went on smoothly in most parts of the country.

The PNP also reported yesterday that 22 persons were killed while 34 others were wounded in 38 incidents related to the barangay elections since the start of election period last Sept. 28.

Rojas said the 38 incidents included 32 shooting incidents, three stabbings and a strafing.

The 22 fatalities include three barangay chairmen, eight kagawads, three candidates and eight civilians. The 37 wounded victims were four barangay chairmen, six kagawads, three councilors, four candidates and 24 civilians.

Based on PNP records, the 2013 barangay elections were more orderly that the 2007 village polls with 101 poll-related violent incidents that resulted in 57 people killed and 45 others wounded during the election period.

Rojas told a briefing at the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City that unidentified armed men burned four classrooms in Buldon, Maguindanao last Sunday.

A relectionist barangay kagawad councilor was shot dead by unidentified men while on his way to cast his vote in Barangay Bohe Lebbung in Tipo-Tipo, Basilan yesterday morning.

The victim was identified as Hadji Faizal Mohammad, 59, a village councilor of Bohe Lebbung.

Investigation disclosed that Mohammad was on his way to the polling precinct when the suspect shot the victim at Sitio Lebbak.

Two persons were also gunned down yesterday by alleged political rivals in Toboso, Negros Occidental.

An hour before the voting precincts opened yesterday, two victims were shot dead in Barangay Poblacion.

Superintendent Roderick Alba of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office identified the victims as Juan Leonardo Belleza and Bryan Bacordo.

Toboso police chief Inspector Danilo Zuniega the suspects, armed with an M-16 rifle and two pistols, were on board a motorcycle when they shot the victims.

Unidentified men burned on Sunday a public school building in Buldon, Maguindanao where barangay elections were supposed to be held.

Senior Superintendent Rodelio Jocson, Maguindanao police director, said the suspects poured gasoline on the walls of the building and placed dried coconut palms to burn the four classrooms of the Denganen Elementary School in Buldon.

The building was razed, according to Jocson.

Col. Dickson Hermoso, spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said local poll officials later transferred the polling precincts to a makeshift polling center in Barangay Denganen.

Hermoso said soldiers were deployed in strategic areas in Buldon to ensure the safety of voters and to prevent armed men from disrupting the polls.

In Pagadian City, suspects on board three motorcycles shot the house of barangay kagawad Rey Prospero Diaz in Baragay Sta. Lucia yesterday.

An hour later, the house of Raul Pamaran, who is running for kagawad in Barangay Kawit also in Pagadian, was shot by unidentified armed men.

At around 2:30 a.m., a group of armed men riddled the house of Joel Almasan Pescadaro, a candidate for kagawad in Barangay Tiguma also in Pagadian.

In Labangan town, Zamboanga del Sur, gunmen shot at the house of Bonifacio Bangcos Dag-uman, an incumbent kagawad in Barangay Naboran.

Ballot snatching

In Basilan, a man snatched a ballot box at the polling precinct in the local elementary school in Barangay Bohe Suyak in Ungkaya Pukan town at around 12:50 p.m. and disrupted the elections as voters waited for their turn to vote.

Basilan police director Senior Superintendent Mario Dapillosa said the suspect entered the precinct, grabbed the ballot box and ran while surprised members of the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI) and voters watched.

The suspect fled towards the interior part of the uphill village of Meterling.

It was not immediately known if the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in the area declared a failure of election in the affected polling precinct.

In Masbate, election officer Merlita Alvarez, her assistant and two police escorts were wounded after their vehicle was ambushed last Sunday in Barangay Parina in Placer town.

Superintendent Antonio Dy, Masbate police community relations officer, said Alvarez, her clerk Joey Villaruel, Police Officer 1 Benito Bailon and another policeman were treated at a hospital in Legazpi City.

Dy said the wounded policemen traded gunfire with the suspects who later escaped.

At around 7 a.m. yesterday, Hermie Aasao, a candidate for barangay chairman of Barangay Kamamburingan, Ungkaya Pukan, Basilan was shot and wounded by a certain Abdaji.

The group of barangay captain Algene Ocero was ambushed by unidentified men in Malitbog, Bukidnon.

Police said there was also an explosion at the house of Davao del Sur provincial prosecutor Artemio Tajon at Barangay Zone II in Digos yesterday.

A candidate for barangay chairman and his wife were shot and wounded by three unidentified armed men in Capas, Tarlac, over the weekend.

With Jaime Laude, Ric Sapnu, Raymund Catindig, John Unson, Artemio Dumlao, Gerry Lee Gorit, Roel Pareño, Cet Dematera, Ding Cervantes, Raffy Viray, Manny Galvez