EDITORIAL - An opening salvo?

Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal Alonto Adiong Jr. and one of his staff were wounded by unidentified men who opened fire on the governor’s convoy as he was passing by Kalilangan, Bukidnon, on his way to Wao, Danao del Sur, last Friday afternoon.

The attack also killed four of the governor’s security detail as well as a driver.

The governor’s brother, Lanao del Sur 1st District Representative Zia Alonto Adiong, said his brother was already out of danger as of this writing. The bullet that hit him missed his vital organs.

He also said they are not discounting politics behind the attack on his brother.

"We're looking at every possible motives. We cannot discount politics kasi nga itong nangyari kahapon talagang inabangan eh. Meron talagang intention to make an attempt on his life," Representative Adiong was quoted as saying.

This is a high possibility. Usually when one goes to kill someone high up on the local political ladder --and that ladder doesn’t go up higher than the position of governor-- it usually involves interests regarding politics or power.

It also takes guts and a certain confidence that the mastermind cannot get caught, or that he or she has someone powerful in his or her corner condoning this action.

We are long way from becoming a politically mature nation. We still don’t know how the election process works. Many voters still think selling their votes or demanding money for them is normal and acceptable. Then they wonder why many politicians milk their office for all its worth and then some after they sit down.

What is even worse is that some politicians view some barangays, town, cities, provinces, or even regions as a personal fief that belongs to a particular family and can only be passed down the bloodline or shared among their loyal allies.

This incident may just be an isolated one, but then again it may be the opening salvo. Officials of the Commission on Elections earlier said they are bracing for a more heated barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections this coming October, even more heated than the national polls last May.

Let’s hope this end here and doesn’t snowball into something else.