Moro Women Finish Seminar On Poll Reforms, Other Issues In Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / August 18, 2009) – More than 20 Moro women leaders from Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi provinces in the southern Philippines gathered in Zamboanga City recently for a two-day training that tackled issues on electoral reforms and poll violence.

The paramount sultan of Sulu, Dr Ibrahim Bahjin Shakirulla II, highlighted the opening program with an inspirational talk. Various topics were discussed by different guest and resource speakers.

With the theme “Enhancing Moro Women’s Capacity to Mitigate Electoral Violence,” Merci Angeles, president of the group called Peace Women Partners-Manila, talked on the orientation on women, peace and security, while Professor Aisa Akalal, who is the president of Sinag Kababaihan, gave a situational report about the women in Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

Professor Akalal said that the seminar was organized by the Sinag Kababaihan in partnership with The Asia Foundation.

“This is a wake up call to all Moro women in Mindanao in general to empower themselves to play their vital role in mitigating electoral violence particularly in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao,” said Professor Akalal.

A survey conducted last year by the Social Weather Station showed that 69% of the respondents agree that “violence during elections is accepted as a way of life in their province.”

SWS President Dr Mahar Mangahas described the finding as “very, very alarming.”

The survey also showed that 61% of the respondents find election-related violence serious in their locality with 20% saying “very serious” and 41% referring to it as “somewhat serious.”

In terms of personal security during election time, 43% of the respondents within the ARMM said they were worried about the situation compared with 33% in areas outside the Muslim autonomous region.

Other speakers during the training were Professor Octavio Dinampo, Irene Santiago, the Chief Executive Officer of the Mindanao Commission on Women; Provincial Vice Governor Hajja Ruby Sahali-Tan of Tawi-Tawi, Dr Samsula Adju, former Chancellor of the Mindanao State University in Sulu province; Professor Fred Concepcion, editor-in-chief of the Sulu provincial newsletter, the Sulu Gazette; and Hajja Babylyn Kano-Omar, the station manager of dxGD-Radio for Peace in the town of Bongao in Tawi-Tawi province.

Participants to the training agreed to actively commit and get involved in the advocacy to mitigate electoral violence in Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi in the 2010 local and national elections. Moro women from Tawi-Tawi have expressed their enthusiasm to host the same training activity in the future. (Amilbahar Mawallil)

Poll Watcher Killed In South RP

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 31, 2007) – A volunteer poll watcher was found murdered Wednesday inside a gymnasium in Butuan City in the southern Philippines, police said.

Police said Geraldine Cabardo's body was discovered by civilians at around 5.30 inside the gym at the San Vicente Elementary School. The body of the 25-year old Cabardo bore stab wounds, it said.

It was not immediately known if the murder was related to the elections, police said.

Other reports said Cabardo worked for the Bombo Radyo's poll watch during Monday's Barangay (village council) and Sangguniang Kabataan (youth council).

"We are still investigating the murder. According to the SOCO (scene of crime officers), the body had multiple incise wounds," Police Officer 2 Ethel Labi told the Mindanao Examiner by phone from Butuan City.

No individual or group claimed responsibility for the killing, Labi said.

More than two dozen people have been killed in poll-related violence in the country, according to the police, but it said the elections were peaceful compared in 2002 where 49 people had died. (Mindanao Examiner)

Violence Erupts Ahead Of Local Polls In Southern Philippines

BASILAN, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 26, 2007) – Police tightened security in the southern Philippine island of Basilan following an ambush believed connected to the upcoming village and youth council elections.

Police said gunmen ambushed a group of campaigners late Wednesday in the village of Bohe Sapa in Lamitan City. The ambush killed Liezel Manuel and wounded her brother, Joseph, who is running for the village polls.

The victim's father, Telesporo Manuel, the village chieftain, who rushed to hospital suffered a heart attack when he saw the body of his daughter.

Police earlier said that the woman was a candidate for the Sanguniang Kabataan elections, but corrected its report after investigators claimed that she was only campaigning for her brother.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but police said the ambush was probably connected to the October 29 synchronized Barangay and Sanguniang Kabataan elections.

Superintendent Salik Macapantar, the island’s police chief, said there is an ongoing investigation into the killing. “We are investigating the ambush. Police forces have been deployed and we have tightened security in Basilan to prevent any poll-related violence,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.

He said the slain woman was working with the Lamitan government.

On Tuesday, unidentified gunmen also killed a Sangguniang Kabataan chairperson, Donna Cateral, in Iloilo province, reports said.

Police said dozens of people had been killed and injured in poll related incidents in the country since last month. And more than 150 illegal weapons were also seized since the imposition of gun ban. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippine Solon Honors Slain Teacher, Urges Authorities To Solve Murder

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 09 Aug) – A Filipino senator on Thursday urged authorities to immediately resolve the killing of a public school teacher in Mindanao island in the southern Philippines.

Police said Musa Dimasidsing, school district supervisor in Maguindanao province, was killed on June 9 in his hometown in North Cotabato. Dimasidsing was murdered after exposing alleged poll fraud in Maguindanao.

Despite threats to his life, Dimasidsing testified that ballots for last May’s elections were tampered with.

Senator Mar Roxas said the sacrifice of the slain teacher must not be in vain. Roxas filed a Senate Resolution honoring Dimasidsing.

“The unresolved murder of Dimasidsing is a blot on the nation’s soul and a stern reminder that electoral reforms are needed to strengthen Philippine democracy,” Roxas said.

“To make light of the crime of poll fraud is to make light of the sovereign will of the people in choosing their leaders. Our debt to Musa Dimasidsing, who stood by the truth and in turn defended the people’s right to vote, is immeasurable.”

Dimasidsing, who served as election officer, was one of those that said polls in the province were dirty and marred with cheating and fraud.

Maguindanao, one of four other provinces under the Muslim autonomous region, is where President Gloria Arroyo’s senatorial candidates won by a landslide.

Roxas’ resolution also calls for the Senate to urge the relevant agencies to immediately resolve the case, and for the appropriate Senate committee to conduct an inquiry into the hazards confronting teachers who undertake poll duties.

Dimasidsing, he said, “should be remembered for refusing to let election fraud pass despite risks to his own life.”

The killing was believed connected to Dimasidsing’s exposé to prevent him from testifying about the cheating and fraud allegedly perpetrated by candidates. (Juan Magtanggol)

Mga Nagwagi Sa Maguindanao, Sumumpa Na!

COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 15 Jun) – Nagkumahog diumano kahapon ang halos lahat ng mayors at kanilang mga bise na agad makapanumpa bilang mga halal sa lalawigan ng Maguindanao sa kabila ng mga akusasyon marumi at talamak ang dayaan doon.

Umabot sa 22 mga mayors at kanilang mga bise ang sumumpa kay Regional Trial Court Judge Binsawan Ibrahim sa Maguindanao Provincial Capitol sa bayan ng Shariff Aguak, ang kuta ng mga angkan ng Ampatuan na siyang nanaig sa halos lahat ng bayan.

Ito ay sa kabila ng kautusan ng Commission on Elections na magsagawa ng hearing upang alamin sa mga mayors at ibang nagawagi sa May 14 polls ang mga akusasyon ng dayaan.

Naglabas rin ng subpoena ang COMELEC sa mga opisyal ng Maguindanao, ngunit ipinaggigiitan ng mga ito na wala silang natatanggap na anuman.

Si Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan ay muling nagwagi at ganoon rin ang kanyang mga anak at kamag-anakan sa buong lalawigan na bahagi ng Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) na kung saan ay ang isa pang anak, si Zaldy Ampatuan, ang tumatayong governor.

Sa Maguindanao ay kagulat-gulat na 12-0 ang naging panalo ng Team Unity senatorial candidates ni Pangulong Gloria Arroyo.

Bukod sa Maguindanao ay talamak rin ang dayaan at marumi ang halalan sa Lanao, Basilan at Sulu, lahat ay kabahagi ng ARMM, na kung saan ay nagwagi rin ng malaking boto ang senatorial line-up ni Arroyo.

Kaalyado ni Arroyo ang mga Ampatuan na umano’y nagbigay sa Pangulo ng panalo sa Mindanao. Isang elections officer na si Musa Dimasidsing na lumutang upang ikondena ang dayaan ang pinatay kamakailan at dalawang guro pa na naglakas loob na magsalita rin ang umano’y dinukot ng mga armado.

Itinanggi naman ng mga opisyal ng Maguindanao at kanilang mga supporters ang lahat ng akusasyon ng pandaraya. (Mindanao Examiner)

Poll Fraud Witness Is Murdered In Southern Philippines

MAGUINDANAO (Mindanao Examiner / 10 Jun) – Unidentified armed men shot dead a local government school teacher who allegedly exposed the massive cheating in last month’s national and local polls, police said Sunday.

Police said Musa Dimasidsing, the province’s school district supervisor, was killed late Saturday inside a school in his hometown in North Cotabato.

Dimasidsing, who served as election officer, was one of those that said polls in the province were dirty and marred with cheating and fraud.

Maguindanao, one of four other provinces under the Muslim autonomous region, is where President Gloria Arroyo’s senatorial candidates won by a landslide.

Police said it is still investigating the attack.

The killing is believed connected to Dimasidsing’s exposé to prevent him from testifying about the cheating and fraud allegedly perpetrated by candidates. (Mindanao Examiner)

Special Polls In Mindanao Marred With Fraud, Cheating And Violence

Special Election in Lanao del Sur province in southern Philippines on Saturday, 26 May 2007. The congressional and local elections, covering 13 towns in the Muslim-majority province are held under heavy security to avert possible violence after authorities suspended the 14 May national mid-term polls due to threats of violence from armed gangs and political warlords.

(Mindanao Examiner Photo Service/Mark Navales)

LANAO DEL SUR (Mindanao Examiner / 26 May) – Armed clashes and violence marred Saturday’s special elections in the Muslim autonomous province of Lanao del Sur in southern Philippines, officials said.

Three government soldiers guarding the polls were killed and three others, including two civilians, were injured in separate attacks in the province.

The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) held special polls in 13 towns in Lanao del Sur where massive fraud and cheating had been reported by an independent elections watchdog, the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV).

Tension was high before and after elections in the province where gunmen randomly attacked polling places with grenades and rifle fires.

There were no reports of arrests, but authorities blamed armed supporters of politicians as behind the attacks.

Fighting between policemen and armed gangs erupted in the towns of Kapay, Butig and Pualas and that an undetermined number of election inspectors were reported missing.

It was unknown whether they had been abducted or hiding for fear they would be coerced into siding with politicians.

Many villagers said they failed to cast their votes because of the presence of gunmen, who were followers of opposing politicians.

The military said unidentified gunmen attacked the municipal hall of Masiu.

“They fired two rounds of mortar rockets. There were no reports of casualties,” military spokesman Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro told the independent regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.

Other reports said there were attempts by armed men to seized ballot boxes in Lanao del Sur. Poll watchers of opposing politicians also engaged in street brawls.

But COMELEC Commissioner Rene Sarmiento insisted the polls were peaceful. “It is generally peaceful,” he said.

But the police said it recorded more than a dozen rocket and grenade attacks in Lanao del Sur during special elections.

On Friday, one soldier was also killed and two civilians had been wounded in separate gun attacks in the towns of Tugaya and Pualas towns.

The head of the PPCRV, Tita de Villa, who was monitoring the polls in Lanao del Sur, said she was a witness to massive cheating and fraud in the province.

She claimed she saw one election inspector hid official ballots inside her bag and that in other polling areas there were two sets of voters’ lists.

“You can’t really vote freely because everybody is at your neck. The climate is impossible for people to vote freely and orderly. From what we see, I think there will be failure of elections again,” De Villa said.

Police forces also guarded the towns of Butig and Pualas and other areas where Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels are actively operating. Authorities fear the rebels may side with politicians allied with the MILF.

But the MILF said security forces should keep a close watch on private armies and goons of politicians who were behind attempts to sabotage the elections. The MILF said it does not take part in any Filipino elections.

“The MILF has a strict policy about Philippine elections. We do not take part in any elections or in partisan politics and our members have strict orders to stay inside their camps,” rebel spokesman Eid Kabalu told the Mindanao Examiner in a separate interview.

Manila is currently negotiating peace with the MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, since 2001. (With reports from Mark Navales, Becky de Asis, Merlyn Manos and Juan Magtanggol)

3 Injured In Basilan Island Attack

BASILAN (Mindanao Examiner / 22 May) – Police on Tuesday sent more forces to secure the canvassing of votes on Basilan island following a grenade attack that injured three people.

The attack late on Monday at a canvassing area in Lamitan town was believed to be connected to politics. The elections on May 14 were hotly contested in Basilan between political warlords.

No individual or group claimed responsibility for the explosion, but it sent fears to local elections officers still canvassing votes from nearby Sumisip town.

The attack interrupted the canvassing of votes, but it later resumed after police secured the premises of a government school used as counting area.

Local politicians accused each other of election fraud and cheating and vote-buying. And in recent days, security forces seized illegal weapons from supporters of politicians.

Philippine elections are often marred with irregularities and fraud and have been traditionally bloody and violent.

Police said hundreds of people were killed and injured in poll-related violence across the country. (Mindanao Examiner)

Violence And Cheating Expected In RP Polls

COTABATO CITY - With only a few days to go to the crucial middle-term elections, the spectre of gunfire and massive fraud hovers threateningly over the Philippines.

On May 14, about 45.5 million Filipinos will be called to choose among 87,000 candidates vying for 17,000 national and local positions, which include the 250 House of Representatives seats and half of the 24 Senate.

Despite the country’s massive problems – corruption, widespread poverty, internal wars, and extrajudicial killings – the electoral campaign has been limited to a virtual referendum on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, accused of cheating at the 2004 elections and tainted by allegation of corruption and abuse of power.

In short, the opposition, gathered around the Genuine Opposition (GO) coalition, wants to win enough seats in the Lower House to impeach her.

Two previous attempts failed due to Arroyo’s supporters being the majority in the House.
The government coalition, Team Unity, wants to maintain this majority so to stave off any new attempts.

In addition to the barren political debate, the run-up to the vote has been tarnished by accusation of frauds and widespread politically-motivated violence - pretty much routine occurrences in the country during elections.

Police said almost 100 people have already been killed in politically-motivated incidents since the election campaign started in January.

Nowhere is the fear greater than in the southern island of Mindanao, where the Muslim minority has been fighting for independence since 1976.

Here, politics is bathed in a trigger-happy culture and is marked by violent episodes involving rivalries among political clans.

Police said a significant proportion of militias known to be active in the Philippines operate in Mindanao. They are believed to be linked to warlords-cum-politicians. There are 91 such groups nationwide.

Muslimin Sema, rebel leader turned politician, wants Manila to strictly implement the policy that only police and military can carry firearms. "Maintaining a private army is against the political exercise.

You know politicians who maintain armed groups and yet they are not disarmed," Sema, a concurrent secretary general of the Moro National liberation Front, once the largest Muslim rebel organisation in the country, told Adnkronos International (AKI).

Sema, the current mayor of Cotabato City, lost his cousin Arnel Datukon last November, in which authorities considered an election-related incident.

Yet he is undeterred as he seeks re-election. "I am needed by the people. I think other politicians too are driven by their desire to serve. But others might see financial gains in running for office," he said.

And money must be the drive behind those who forced the then 14-year old Arlene Sedig to lie about her age, and vote in 2004.

"They threatened to hurt my parents. They were in control of the polling precincts, it was that easy for them," she told AKI, mentioning some private armies linked to politicians in Pagalungan, her hometown.

"Politics is really dirty in this country. It's always marked by violence and I am afraid that someday I will lose one of my loved ones,” she added without showing any hope for an improvement in the forthcoming ballot.

However, despite it all, Omar Sumail, a 45-year old farmer in the same town, said that he has not given up hope. "I am hoping for a zero incident of violence on the day of election. We are tired of always having ‘bloody’ elections," said Sumail. “Hope is all we have left, at the end of the day,” he added.

The Commission on Elections has granted accreditation to 219 foreigners from 12 countries, including those from Europe to monitor the vote. Arroyo has mobilized the military to work alongside the police and ensure safety for the ballots.

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)

Poll Violence Tumataas Pa Rin!

QUEZON CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 03 May) - Halos walumpu na umano ang mga napapaslang na mga kandidato at politiko at tagasuporta, mahigit isang linggo bago ang halalan.

Sa rekord ng Philippine National Police, umaabot sa 44 o 36 politician at 8 kandidato, bukod pa sa 24 tagasuporta at 8 pang sibilyan ang napapatay.

Mas malaki na ito kumpara noong 2004 na kung sa hanay ng mga nalilikidang kandidato at politiko ay nasa 41 lamang at ito ay sa kabuuan na ng panahon ng eleksyon.

Tinatayang 82 naman ang mga nasugatan sa nalalapit na halalan.

Bagamat inaasahan na ng pambansang pulisya na madaragdagan ang naturang bilang, sinisikap na umano nitong magpatupad ng preventive measures upang makontrol ang paglobo ng election related violence.

Sinisi naman ng ilang grupo ang ginawang pakikipag-alyansa ng partidong KAMPI ni Pangulong Gloria Arroyo at LAKAS-CMD at ibang koalisyon ng pamahalaan sa LDP ng oposisyon sa mga karahasan.

Pare-parehong mga kaalyado kasi ni Arroyo ang ngayon ang naggigirian dahil sa naging "free zone o free-for-all" ang mga lugar nito na kung saan ay nagaagawan sa supporta at posisyon ang mga ito.

Nag-merge ang LDP sa KAMPI, LAKAS-CMD upang masiguro ang panalo diumano ng mga kandidato ng TEAM Unity. Bitbit kasi ng KAMPI, LAKAS-CMD at ng koalisyon nito ang TEAM Unity. (ulat nina Juley Reyes at Mark Navales)

7 Killed In Jolo Island Violence

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 10 Apr) – At least 7 people were killed in sporadic clashes between armed supporters of politicians in Tongkil town in Jolo island, about 960 km south of Manila, local officials said Tuesday.

The town mayor Wahid Sahidulla said at least seven people, two from his side, had died from the violence after gunmen seized a village and strafed houses.
One policeman was also wounded, he said.

“The fighting is continuing and seven people have been killed so far and there is no sign that the violence would end soon. Gunmen are sowing terror and thousands of villagers have fled their homes for fear they would be held hostage or executed,” Sahidulla told the Mindanao Examiner newspaper in Zamboanga City.

He said the raiders, armed with small rockets and automatic weapons, allegedly torched a Protestant church and several houses and also bombed the municipal hall of Tongkil town at around 2 a.m. Monday.

The gunmen also seized a village called Sigumbal, trapping some 7,000 people.

The mayor said the attacks were connected to politics and blamed it to his opponents. “They wanted to take control of the elections and scare the people,” he said.

Sahidulla said he sought help of the military, but security officials told him to get in touch with the local police force. “The town’s police force is outnumbered and the situation is getting worse by the day. It is like a ghost town already in Tongkil,” he said.

Military officials earlier warned politicians against using violence in the May polls, saying, security forces are ready to confront them to ensure peace and honest elections.

Officials said soldiers would be used to ensure elections are not hampered by the presence of rebels and terrorists in areas where they are actively operating.

Chief Superintendent Joel Goltiao, head of the police in the Muslim autonomous region, said they have sent additional forces to pacify the warring groups.

“We have sent police forces in the area. This is more of a political trouble and we are addressing this problem,” Goltiao told the Mindanao Examiner by phone.

Dozens of people had been killed in poll-related violence across the country where Filipinos are to elect their senators and congressmen and local officials on May 14.

Police said about four dozen people had been killed in election-related violence since political campaign began this month.

Elections in the Philippines, particularly in the Muslim autonomous region, are traditionally bloody. Many politicians maintain private armed goons to harass their opponents and intimidate voters. (Mindanao Examiner)

Southern RP Town Under Siege!

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 09 Apr) – Armed men attacked before dawn Monday a remote southern Philippine town, but there were no immediate of reports of casualties, officials said.

The raiders, armed with rockets and automatic weapons, torched a Protestant church and several houses and also bombed the municipal hall of Tongkil town at around 2 a.m.

Wahid Sahidulla, the town’s mayor, said the gunmen also seized a village called Sigumbal, trapping some 7,000 people. “They attacked our town, burned the church and houses and fired rockets on our town hall,” Sahidulla told the Mindanao Examiner.

The mayor said the attacks were connected to politics and blamed it to his opponents. “They wanted to take control of the elections and scare the people,” he said.

Dozens of people had been killed in poll-related violence across the country where Filipinos are to elect their senators and congressmen and local officials on May 14.

Sahidulla said policemen, who were defending the town, were outnumbered and that many villagers have fled their homes. “The fighting is still going on and there are no soldiers in the area. We do not know how many people were killed or injured in the attacks,” he said.

The Philippine military on Friday warned politicians against using violence in the upcoming polls, saying, security forces are ready to confront them to ensure peace and honest elections.

Officials said soldiers would be used to ensure elections are not hampered by the presence of rebels and terrorists in areas where they are actively operating.

Police said about four dozen people had been killed in election violence since campaign began this month.

Early this month, unidentified men tossed two grenades at the house of an election officer in Marawi City in Lanao province in Mindanao. The blast damaged the house, but there were no reports of injuries or casualties from the attack.

Gunmen also attacked with small rockets the house of a town mayor in Dimataling in Zamboanga del Sur province on the other side of Mindanao. And violence has been reported in many other places in Mindanao, the central Philippines and in Luzon.

Last month, motorcycle gunmen ambushed and killed a politician who was running for the mayoralty race in Maguindanao province.

Elections in the Philippines, particularly in the Muslim autonomous region, are traditionally bloody. Many politicians maintain private armed goons to harass their opponents and intimidate voters. (Mindanao Examiner)

2 Dead In Masbate Ambush

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 06 Apr) – Unidentified gunmen killed two people in an attack in the island province of Masbate, police said Friday.

Police said one man was also wounded in Thursday attack that occurred near the town of Batuhan. The three men were on a motorcycle when gunmen opened fire on them.

The victims were returning home from a political meeting when ambushed. It was unknown if the attack was connected to politics or not, but police said the trio were supporters of the incumbent town mayor Ferdinand Alforte.

Police said the gunmen escaped after the attack. Crime investigators recovered empty shells of an M16 automatic rifle from the ambush area.

Last month, communist insurgents and masked gunmen killed a policeman and a supporter of another town mayor in separate attacks in Masbate.

President Gloria Arroyo ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and all government security agencies to exert all efforts to ensure the peaceful and orderly conduct of the May national elections. (With a report from Juley Reyes)

Police Tighten Security In Marawi City After Attack

MAGUINDANAO (Mindanao Examiner / 04 Apr) – Police tightened security Wednesday after a failed assassination attempt on an election official in the southern Philippines.

Police said unidentified men tossed two grenades at the house of Diana Titiban in Marawi City on Tuesday. One grenade exploded, but police said no one was killed or injured in the attack.

It was unknown if the attack had anything to do with Titiban’s job as election officer of Marawi City. The attack occurred as local candidates begin their campaign for the May 14 national elections.

No group or individual claimed responsibility for the blast and police said it is still investigating the motive of the attack.

Police said Titiban was sleeping inside the house at the time of the attack. Marawi is a 3rd class city and capital of Lanao del Sur province. (Mark Navales)

Poll Violence Claims 2 In Southern Philippines

COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 15 Mar) – Unidentified motorcycle gunmen ambushed Thursday a Muslim politician, killing his wife and a bodyguard, in the southern Philippines, officials said.

Officials said Kagi Mastur Salendab was seriously wounded in the attack, but his wife, Hudah Mangelen and bodyguard Oscar Salendab were killed. They were attack near a petrol station in Sultan Kudarat’s Quirino town.

Mastur Salendab and his wife were onboard their vehicle when two motorcycle gunmen attacked them at around 8 a.m.

Salendab was on his way to the office of the Commission on Elections in nearby Tacurong City to file his candidacy for the mayoralty post in Datu Paglat town.

“Troops have put up road blocks and checkpoints around the town to help local police enforced gun ban,” Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, spokesman of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, told the Mindanao Examiner newspaper.

No individual or group claimed responsibility for the attack, but Ando said the killings may be connected to politics. He did not elaborate.

Police is still investigating the ambush. Salendab, who is in critical condition, was a former assemblyman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). It was unknown whether Salendab is running under President Gloria Arroyo’s Kampi party or with the opposition.

At least 11 people had been killed in poll-related violence across the Philippines.
Filipinos are to elect their senators and congressmen and local officials in national elections set in May.

Elections in the Philippines, particularly in the Muslim autonomous region, are traditionally bloody. Many politicians maintain private armed goons to harass their opponents and intimidate voters. (Mark Navales, Juan Magtanggol and Juley Reyes)