Poll violence: NE political leader slain

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Benjamin Abalos wants more policemen and soldiers deployed in the so-called "areas of concern’’ as cases of poll-related violence mount in the run-up to the May 14 elections.

"We have asked both the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines for more troops in all volatile areas," Abalos said, adding that the additional security forces would also be on alert for "destabilizers’’ who might take advantage of the tense atmosphere on election day and during the counting of votes.

He said more troops would also be assigned to provide security to members of the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI).

"We are deploying more forces for those that would be sitting in the BEI, because they said that they don’t want to work in an atmosphere of fear," he said.

In what appeared to be another case of poll-related violence, two men on a motorcycle shot dead Thursday night a political leader of a re-electionist mayor in Nueva Ecija.

Manuel Tolentino, 58, died of multiple gunshot wounds at a hospital in Gapan City shortly after unidentified gunmen waylaid him along the national highway in Barangay Panganiban.

Tolentino, a political leader of re-electionist Mayor Ernesto Natividad of the Bagong Lakas ng Nueva Ecija Party, was driving his car on his way home when ambushed.

Tolentino was reportedly the seventh victim of poll-related violence in Nueva Ecija since the start of the campaign for local positions on March 29.

On April 26, a candidate for municipal councilor and a police officer were killed during a shootout between the groups of ex-mayor Antonio Esquivel and Rep. Rodolfo Antonino in Barangay Dampulan, Jaen, Nueva Ecija.

Sr. Supt. Allen Bantolo, Nueva Ecija provincial police officer-in-charge, was relieved of his post after the incident and replaced by Sr. Supt. Alfredo Caballes.

In Sual, Pangasinan, unidentified men sprayed M-16 bullets and lobbed two improvised bombs at the campaign headquarters of re-electionist Mayor John Rodney Arcinue Sunday night. No one was hurt in the attack.

Senior Police Officer 4 Bernardo Cerezo said responding policemen found 13 empty shells of M16 armalite rifle, bomb fragments, and an unexploded improvised explosive device.

Police said Arcinue and some of his campaigners were having dinner at the headquarters at the time of the attack. The bullets hit the 14-foot high wall around the headquarters.

Senior Supt. Isagani Nerez, provincial police director, said he received a go-signal from the Comelec to assign two police escorts to Arcinue.

The same headquarters were strafed during the 2004 election campaign. In 2004, Sual was placed under Comelec control.

Arcinue squares off on May 14 with his vice mayor Dionel Caburao and with former mayor Louise Agbayani, brother of outgoing governor Victor Agbayani.

In Pasay City, police are checking if politics was behind the gunslaying yesterday of a supporter of mayoral candidate Rep. Consuelo Dy.

Melchor Saria, 36, was on a motorcycle when shot by an unidentified man on Andrews Ave. He died of gunshot wounds at the San Juan de Dios Hospital.

The victim was reportedly on his way to Villamor Airbase to monitor garbage collection in the area when gunned down.

Mayor Allan Panaligan and Dy expressed alarm over the incident.

Panaligan said the killing could be politically-motivated. He said more police checkpoints should be set up in the city. Dy, for her part, said Pasay should be declared an election hotspot.

Meanwhile, Abalos said only the police and the military would determine the number of additional security forces to be deployed after a thorough assessment of the peace and order situation.

He said additional troops would be sent to areas that are under threat from Abu Sayyaf terrorists, renegade members of the Moro National Liberation Front, and the communist New People’s Army.

The Comelec chief said there are signs of heightened communist rebel activities in the Sierra Madre Mountain Range, which encompasses the provinces of Kalinga, Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino.

Abalos also appealed for greater public understanding of the new troop deployment. "The problem is we might be accused of human rights abuses or violating the MOA if we set up more checkpoints or seek help from the military,’’ Abalos said.

Abalos was referring to the memorandum of agreement between the Comelec and the Department of National Defense limiting the role of the military during elections to addressing serious armed threats only. – with Ric Sapnu, Eva Visperas, Rhodina Villanueva