MANILA, Philippines - At least 20 men, armed with brass knuckles and blunt weapons, stormed the campaign headquarters of a re-electionist barangay chairman in Pasay City.
Dexter Mangoranca, incumbent chairman of Barangay 79, escaped unscathed but four of his supporters sustained head and body injuries, said Pasay police chief Senior Superintendent Michel Filart.
A service vehicle of the barangay was damaged during the attack.
Filart said he strongly believes that the attack was related to a commotion at two polling precincts in the Cuneta Elementary School, wherein Mangoranca’s supporters and those of his rival engaged in a heated argument 15 minutes prior to the attack.
The argument erupted when Mangoranca’s poll watchers accosted a voter whose middle name in his identification card did not match the one in the voters’ list.
The poll watchers advised the board of election tellers not to allow the voter to cast his vote, triggering a heated argument that ended in a brawl, said Filart.
The trouble prompted election officer Felton Sadang to stop the voting at the two precincts. He only ordered the voting to resume after Filart deployed police officers to secure the area.