Barangay Chairman, Itinumba Sa Kabunsuan

COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 30, 2007) – Patay ang isang Barangay captain matapos itong pagbabarilin ng di-kilalang salarin ilang oras ng siya'y tanghaling panalo sa Barangay elections sa lalawigan ng Shariff Kabunsuan sa Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Sinabi ng pulisya na hindi na umabot ng ospital si Samsudin Lumbos dahil sa tinamong balas a katawan matapos itong barilin sa Barangay Balut.

Patuloy naman ang imbestigasyon sa pagkakapaslang kay Lumbos, ayon sa pulisya. Umabot na umano sa 9 ang nasawi sa Barangay at SK polls sa naturang rehiyon.

Ngunit sa kabila nito ay sinabi ng pulisya at militar na mapayapa ang Barangay at Sanguniang Kabataan elections nuong Lunes.

Mahigit sa isang milyong kandidato ang tumakbo para sa 600,000 puwesto sa buong bansa. Huling ginanaop ang elections nuong 2002 matapos na mabalam ng ilang ulit dahil sa kakulangan ng pondo. (Mindanao Examiner)

RP Polls Peaceful

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo casts her vote Monday Oct. 29, 2007 at Lubao Elementary School in her hometown Pampanga province during the Barangay and SK elections. (Rey Baniquet)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 29, 2007) – Philippine authorities said Monday's polls were generally peaceful in the southern region of Mindanao, although there were some reports of killings and failure of elections over a few areas.

Filipinos cast their ballots for the Barangay (village council) and Sanguniang Kabataan (youth council) elections. More than a million candidates ran for various electives posts for the country's 42,000 villages, but over 600,000 only would be chosen.

The last elections were held in 2002 after several postponements due to lack of funding.

"The elections were generally peaceful and orderly, although there were some reports of violence in Basilan province and a failure of elections in some areas in Sulu and Lanao," Maj. Eugene Batara, spokesman for the Western Mindanao Command in Zamboanga city, told the Mindanao Examiner.

He said there was a failure of elections in Panglima Estino town in Sulu province because government teachers acting as poll officers boycotted the elections.

The teachers earlier warned they would boycott the elections to force the Muslim autonomous region to pay their salaries. Thousands of teachers said they have failed to receive their salaries for many months now and others claimed payments they made for state pension were missing.

Supt. Salik Macapantar, Basilan police chief, said one candidate was killed, but his attacker had been arrested after a long chase on Malamawi island. Another candidate was also shot and wounded in Isabela city by his political rival. Both men were running as village chieftain.

Elections in the towns of Al-Barka, Ungkaya Pukan and Tipo-Tipo, where Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels were active had been peaceful also, Macapantar said.

The three areas were closely guarded by policemen, he said.

"Overall, elections in Basilan are peaceful and there were less poll-related incidents. The people have been very active in guarding the elections to ensure honest polls and that's what we had in Basilan," Macapantar said in a separate interview.

Elections were also peaceful in central Mindanao, but there were reports that gunmen harassed poll officers in some areas in the region, according to Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, spokesman of the Army's 6th Infantry Division.

"We are waiting for reports, but so far, there have been few poll-related incidents," he said.

Philippine police chief Avelino Razon said the polls were successful with few election-related incidents. He said there were only 29 reported deaths compared to 75 in 2002. And only 48 poll-related incidents from 159 five years ago. (Mindanao Examiner)

AFP, PNP Handa Na Sa Barangay At SK Polls

COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 28, 2007) – Handa na umano ang militar at pulisya sa Baranbgay at SK elections sa Mindanao sa Lunes.

Sinabi Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, tagapagsalita ng militar sa central Midnanao, na nakikipagtulungan ang Armed Forces sa pulisya upang masigurong tahimik ang halalan.

“Naka-deploy na yun mga tropa natin sa ibat-ibang lugar, partikular sa mga areas na may mga rebelde, upang masigurong hindi maantala ang eleksyon. We are working closely with the police to ensure peaceful elections,” ani Ando sa Mindanao Examiner.

Ito rin ang sinabi ni Supt. Salik Macapantar, hepe ng pulisya sa Basilan. “Handa na rin tayo at katunayan ay nasa kanya-kanyang lugar na ang mga pulis natin. Ready na tayo at sana ay maging matahik ang Barangay at SK elections,” wika naman ni Macapantar.

Nuong nakaraang lingo ay isang kandadato sa Barangay polls ang tinambangan ng mga di-kilalang aramado sa Barangay Bohe Sapa sa lungsod ng Lamitan. Sugatan si Joseph Manuel ngunit nasawi naman ang utol nito ng tamaan ng mga bala.

Ang masakit pa ay inatake rin sa puso at nasawi ang kanilang ama na baranagay chairman sa nasabing lugar matapos na makita sa pagamutan ang bangkay ang anak at kalagayan ni Joseph. Walang umako sa atake. (Mindanao Examiner)

300 Poll Candidates Attend Forum In South RP

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 28, 2007) – At least 300 candidates running for the local village and youth council elections attended a forum in the southern Filipino town of North Upi as the Church calls for a peaceful polls on Monday.

The forum, sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Philippines (EDSP), was dubbed as “Boto Mo, Kinabukasan Mo! Lumahok sa halalan at iboto ang magtataguyod sa kapakanan ng mamamayan” under the Philippine Episcopalians Action for Clean Elections” (PEACE) program.

“Despite the issue of corruptions and anomalies enfolding the country, we are hopeful that through our renewed and committed youth and barangay (village) officials, we can make a change,” Rev. Fr. Francis Imperial, parish priest of North Upi, said.

The forum, held recently, paved the way for interactive and responsive governance for the people of North Upi, the priest said.

One of the forum’s resource people, Bai Ali Indayla, national secretary-general of the non-government organization, Suara Bangsamoro, gave ample and valuable insights on the role of youth on politics of change.

She also discussed the present situation of the Filipinos on politics, economic and cultural aspect.

Indayla also challenged youth candidates to prove that the Sanguniang Kabataan is no haven for corruption, but a venue to explore and substantiate that youth has a significant function to promote good governance.

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)

Youth Poll Candidate Killed In Southern RP Ambush

BASILAN, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 26, 2007) – Gunmen ambushed a candidate for the upcoming youth polls in the southern Philippine island of Basilan, police said on Friday.

Police said the gunmen attacked a group of campaigners in Bohe Sapa village in Lamitan town late Wednesday, killing Liezel Manuel and wounding her brother, Joseph.

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.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but police said the ambush was probably connected to next week’s synchronized Barangay and Sanguniang Kabataan elections.

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 that more than 150 illegal weapons were also seized since the imposition of gun ban. (Mindanao Examiner)

Postpone Village Polls And Then Blame High Prices Of Crude Oil

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 18 Sept) – With prices of crude oil soaring, Filipino lawmakers now have reasons to postpone next month’s village polls in what they say would be a big savings for the government.

Cebu Rep. Eduardo Gullas said the fresh surge in crude oil prices to new highs above $80 per barrel drove the House of Representatives to finally pass a bill seeking to reset the Oct. 29 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections to May 2009.

“This is not just about the modest government savings. This is about stopping some P8 billion in election-related spending by candidates from being needlessly pumped into the system at a time when oil prices are hovering at or near record highs,” Gullas said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.

Gullas is the author of the bill that seeks to postpone the polls despite a strong protest from many groups to cancel the elections.

He insisted that the P8-billion spending would come barely six months after bets in the May 14 mid-term elections swamped the system with tens of billions of pesos.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said there is a potential new inflationary pressure on consumer prices that may be brought about the recent surge in oil prices.

"High oil prices are becoming a concern. Definitely, it will have an impact on inflation, not immediately this September because the oil companies here still have inventory," BSP Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo said.

Guinigundo said the adverse impact of the recent surge in oil prices would likely be felt starting October, right around the time election-related spending in connection with the Barangay and SK polls is expected to heighten.

Crude oil futures touched record highs above $80 per barrel last week.

"If we unnecessarily stir inflation in a big way, we're afraid this might force the BSP to eventually raise interest rates, or keep them at current levels, at a time when other countries are already lowering rates," Gullas said.

The high lending rates in turn could dampen the country's strong economic expansion, and set back the debt-laden government's financial recovery, Gullas warned.

"We know how indebted the National Treasury is, despite the favorably strong peso that has allowed the government to lessen its dollar-denominated liabilities. The government is thus extremely vulnerable to rising interest rates, just like the private sector," Gullas said.

Excessive money supply tends to put upward pressure on consumer prices as people are induced to spend more when they have more cash in their pockets.

Raising interest rates is one of the options available to the BSP to curb excessive money supply and fight any added inflationary risks.

The polls have been previously reset many times and maybe postponed in 2009 because of the Presidential and national polls in 2010. (Mindanao Examiner)