In Eastern Visayas: Troops deployed to hot spots

CATBALOGAN CITY, Philippines — Major General Raul Farnacio, commanding officer of the Army's 8th Infantry Division here, confirmed the deployment of 80 percent of the military forces from their five battalions based in Eastern Visayas as part of their security and safety measures as the election period for the upcoming SK and barangay elections on May 14 has already started.

Farnacio on Tuesday said the deployment will prioritize and focus on areas where intense political rivalries will most likely erupt into violence, he mentioned Samar Province and few areas in Northern and Eastern Samar provinces with a history of political violence during elections.

"We will not allow any violence to happen, that is why we in the 8th ID would continue to assess and review the situation to determine lalo na sa first district ng Samar where we have make sure na hindi makakagalaw ang ilan sa mga natitirang private armed groups we will see if we have to increase the number of troops sa mga lugar na ito," Farnacio added.

Setting up of checkpoints in strategic areas in coordination with the police forces is now ongoing, some of these are in Calbayog City and its boundaries, in Samar’s first congressional district, Northern Samar, and other areas in Leyte province.

Records show that prior to the filing of certificate of candidacy, two of the supposed candidates for Barangay captain of the Liberal Party in San Franciscio and Himaloloto, both in Gandara, Samar were separately killed by unknown suspects.

Meanwhile in Matuguinao, Samar the brother of Elvera Garcia, the barangay captain of Del Rosario was also killed by suspected NPA rebels on Saturday.

Commission on Elections Regional Director Jose Nick Mendros said that the PNP, AFP, and the Comelec are set to reassess possible election areas of concern from all over the region.

At the same time he appealed to the candidates that peaceful, orderly, and honest election will actually come from them.

"Actually ang gulo ay nangagaling sa mga kandidato at sumusunod nalang ang mga supporters, I tell you kung peace-loving ang mga kandidato ‘yun din ang ikikilos ng mga supporters, however we are so much thankful na marami ang nagbibigay ng support ngayon sa Comelec in advocacy for educated voters,” Mendros said.

Farnacio mentioned two big political clans in Samar known to clash. He also said there are reports NPAs are also intervening in the campaign and supporting candidates they want to win.

"It’s very true that some unfortunate for us in the military cast in a bad light despite our efforts and commitment in maintaining honest and peaceful results in any elections," Farnacio said.

He maintained his appeal for cooler heads particularly among the politicians and their supporters, adding that the dry season heat could even contribute to shorter tempers, which could unfortunately lead to violence. (FREEMAN)