College Editors Fear Violent Poll Outcome

DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 09 May) – The College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) in Davao City on Wednesday said it is concerned about the outcome of elections next week because of rising poll violence in the country.

The group is advocating for a free, honest and peaceful national and local elections on May 14.

Donald Jake Lopez, local chairman of the CEGP, said they are worried over the continued prevalence of the use of guns, gold and goons by traditional politicians and by those in power to achieve victory in the elections.

“As with previous elections, we are once again witnessing widespread and massive use of money, fraudulent means and violence to influence the outcome of the May 14 midterm elections,”

Lopez said in a statement sent to the independent regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.

He said some politicians in Davao City are already buying votes and engaged in other fraudulent means to ensure their victory in the polls. He did not identify the politicians.

“We are thus provoked to stand and voice out our concern. We are thus provoked to summon our colleagues and fellow youth, voter or not, to actively participate in the coming elections,” Lopez said, adding, his group is mobilizing campus writers on May 14 to observe and document cases of election-related violence and fraud.

Nisa Opalla, CEGP secretary general, said: “Should traditional politicians win those who are desperate to remain and hold power and influence at the expense of people’s interests, our future as the youth, would remain in the dark.”

Opalla said the CEGP is aware of how the Filipino youth have suffered much from the current political system.

“The myriad of issues confronting the youth sector have always been the content of our publications nationwide, such as the commercialization of education via annual tuition and other fees increases; education budget cuts; campus repression and the curtailment of the basic rights and freedoms of students and campus press freedom and the rising statistics of unemployed and underemployed youth,” she said. (Mindanao Examiner)