Just because a suspect in a serious crime is a local government executive who also happens to be a candidate in upcoming elections, he should be exempted from prosecution. But the government should also not ignore the potential security risks posed by the arrest of Indanan Mayor Alvarez Isnaji and his son Haider to the conduct of the elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
The Commission on Elections has expressed concern, with Chairman Jose Melo fearing that the polls could be sabotaged because of the indictment of the Isnajis for the kidnapping of ABS-CBN news anchor Ces Oreña-Drilon, cameramen Jimmy Encarnacion and Angelo Valderama and Mindanao State University professor Octavio Dinampo. But the Comelec has also reassured the public that the polls would be postponed only as an “extreme measure” in case violence erupts and goes out of control.
In just a little over a month, voters in the ARMM will pick their new local executives. Elections in the ARMM, one of the country’s poorest and underdeveloped regions, have always been marred by more than the usual degree of violence, harassment and cheating that have long plagued electoral exercises in this country. The most serious vote-rigging scandals in the past decade involve the conduct of elections in the autonomous region.
The Comelec has had precious little time to prepare properly for the ARMM elections in August. For about a year it was distracted by the bribery scandal that led to the resignation of its former chairman Benjamin Abalos. The head of its legal department was murdered and his replacement also killed, with suspicion focusing on the same electoral dispute as the motive. It took time for Melo to take over from Abalos. Melo wanted to be confirmed first by the Commission on Appointments but later assumed the post because the Comelec, already swamped by work, lacked a quorum.
Now the Comelec must race against time to ensure that the ARMM elections will be conducted peacefully and in an orderly fashion. Equally important, the Comelec must ensure that the results will be credible. This is the best foil against any escalation of violence that may arise from the kidnapping scandal in Sulu.