For this year’s Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE), the province of Lanao del Sur has reported an occurrence of violence even before the polls officially commenced.
In a live interview with the state-run PTV, Lanao del Sur Police Provincial Office (LDSPPO) Public Information Officer PMaj. Alinaid Moner disclosed that there were two shooting incidents, three mulling cases, and one alarming scandal situation on election day, October 30.
One of the recorded incidents involved the shooting in Brgy. Bayabao, Butig town, where Madid Bao, the husband of the incumbent chairperson of Brgy. Poctan of the same town was tragically shot and killed by his own brother at 6:25 in the morning at the covered court of Bayabao Central Elementary School.
Police reports said the case is under investigation. The polls continued despite the incident.
“The suspect ay kapatid ng victim na si Jamail Bao. Siya rin ay tumatakbong kandidato bilang barangay chairperson sa Brgy. Poctan, Butig, Lanao del Sur. Nang mangyari iyon, tuloy-tuloy pa rin ang botohan,” said Moner.
(The suspect, Jamail Bao, was the brother of the victim. He also ran as a candidate for the barangay chairperson of Brgy. Poctan, Butig, Lanao del Sur. Even when that happened, the elections still went on).
It can be recalled that the concerned town was earlier classified under the red category.
Ensuring the security of the canvassers, Moner stated that other municipalities in the province conducted the counting at their respective municipal halls, such as the town of Marantao.
Notwithstanding the tallied election-related violence in some parts of the country, including in this province, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) declared that this year’s BSKE was generally peaceful.
COMELEC Commissioner Rey Bulay stressed that although they firmly denounced all untoward events, these were insufficient to halt the slated elections.
“We abhor and condemn (the election-related incidents), but those hiwa-hiwalay na incidents ay (separate incidents were) not enough to stop holding the elections,” he said.
COMELEC Chairperson Lawyer George Erwin Garcia, on the other hand, underscored that the cases of disturbance did not outweigh the fact that the elections continued.
“Maliit na porsyento pa rin iyong nagkaroon ng disruption as against doon sa natuloy ang ating halalan,” he said.
The disruptions were just a minor scale in percentage compared to areas where elections were held without a glitch). (CRG/PIA-10/Lanao del Sur)
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