Another day, another deadly attack on a candidate. Last Thursday afternoon, a mayor in Lanao del Norte was ambushed together with his supporters shortly after they had left a campaign rally in their town. Nunungan Mayor Abdul Manam-paran survived with a minor head wound, but his daughter, driver and 12 supporters were killed in the attack staged by about 15 gunmen.
Investigators said the violence most likely stemmed from a clan war or rido, but such family feuds – like the one that led to the 2009 massacre in Maguindanao – are often fueled by political rivalry. Manamparan is on his third and final term and is now running for vice mayor.
The little-known town of Nunungan, with a total population of 16,304 as of 2010, has 11,483 voters registered for the elections next month. Yet even in such a small town, mass murder is still used to eliminate rivals and settle scores. This is not a modern democracy but a feudal system that’s a long way from transition to political maturity.
There’s supposed to be an election gun ban; the attack shows once again how toothless it is. The weakness is understandable, considering that in many areas, those tasked to enforce the ban are themselves the ones employed to perpetrate political violence. The private armies of politicians should have been dismantled before the campaign period. As in previous elections, however, the effort has faltered and political kingpins reign, their bodyguards and supporters armed to the teeth.
The entire country is awash with guns, and the weapons are used freely for political violence and organized crime. The armed violence can be dismissed as nothing but business as usual in Philippine elections – but didn’t the daang matuwid administration promise an end to business as usual? President Aquino should send a clear message to his security officials that election violence must be curbed, and it must be done now.