Election Violence in Mindanao:
‘They Just Opened Fire!’

“This year's election is one of the most violent and dirtiest in Philippine history,” said Bayan-Southern Mindanao spokesperson Jeppie Ramada in a statement. “With the entry of progressive party-list groups in the electoral race, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and the Armed Forces of the Philippines have unleashed state-sponsored, military-managed electoral fraud and terrorism against them.” 

BY DAISY C. GONZALES
Bulatlat.com Mindanao Bureau

TAGUM CITY, Davao del Norte --  “We don’t care if you are the village chief!,” the Scout Ranger shouted when Antonio Rio tried to assert that he was the barangay (village) chairman of a suburban village here called Mankilam. The soldier pointed his Armalite at Rio and ordered the old man to lie prostrate on the ground.

A few seconds earlier, at around 12:45 a.m. of May 10, at least six vehicles, including a V-150 armored personnel carrier and a Hummer, screeched to a halt in front of the barangay hall. Men got out, among them two lieutenants of the Task Force North Davao, and started shooting.

“They just opened fire!" Rio recounted. The shots from M14, M16 and M60 rifles lasted for minutes. Fortunately, Rio and his companions were able to take cover and no one was killed or hurt in the attack. But the hall and the barangay’s Multicab vehicle were damaged.

After the shooting, the soldiers approached Rio, who tried to assert his being the village chief. That’s when the Scout Ranger pointed the gun at him and ordered him to lie down.

Rio said they saw a white Adventure SUV with government plates accompanying the military convoy. This SUV, he said, was used frequently by a re-electionist Lakas candidate for councilor of Tagum City. Rio was a known supporter of Tagum mayoralty candidate Rey "Chiong" Uy, who ran under the opposition ticket.

Rio and a few members of his tanods (village guards) had been huddling inside the dimly lit barangay hall after making the rounds to make sure that the election that would take place later in the day would be peaceful and orderly.

Mankilam has the second largest number of voters in this city; its barangay hall was only a few meters away from the Davao del Norte capitol and the headquarters of the composite Task Force North Davao of the military.

Later, Rio and officials of the Task Force North Davao met and settled the matter. Rio was told that there had been a miscommunication. But he said the soldiers should have paid a courtesy call on him first, instead of attacking the barangay hall. He said he would file charges against the Task Force North Davao. “I was deeply offended. To think we work for the same government,” Rio said.

Other towns

What happened in Mankilam took place as well in many towns of Mindanao -- a testament to the violent nature of Philippine elections.

In Marawi City on the day after the elections, Marines fired at a crowd inside the Mindanao State University, where the canvassing of votes for the Lanao del Sur area was being held. One was killed and eight civilians were hurt in that incident.

On Thursday last week, a leader of Bayan Muna in Monkayo town, in Compostela Valley Province, was murdered. Henry Buduan had been the chairman of the Compostela Valley Small-Scale Miners’ Federation. His death was seen as politically-motivated and it had also something to do with the ongoing conflict in gold-rich Diwalwal.

Buduan was a supporter of Franco Tito, a former barangay chairman who ran for mayor of Monkayo against Emmanuel Brillantes. Armed goons said to belong to Brillantes went inside voting precincts in Olaycon, a village in Monkayo. Brillantes’ family owns the JB-Southeast Mindanao Gold Mining Corp. that has been the target of massive protest actions by small miners. Monkayo was the only town in Southern Mindanao to have been put under Comelec control.

In Banga town, South Cotabato, one villager, a supporter of a local candidate, was killed on election day.

In Basilan, the town hall of Tipo-Tipo was razed by unidentified men. No one was reported injured in the incident.

In Jolo, Sulu, a grenade attack Wednesday night last week killed one person and injured several others. Police said "intense political rivalry" caused the attack.

On Thursday night last week, in Pikit, North Cotabato, unidentified men bombed the house of Gabriel Gador, the vice chairman of the Municipal Board of Canvassers. Gador was unharmed.

That same day, a grenade was lobbed at the back of the town hall of President Quirino in Sultan Kudarat. No one was hurt in the attack, which sent the board of canvassers into panic.

Grenade

On Friday last week, a grenade damaged the General Santos City hall, where canvassing was being done. No one was hurt but employees panicked.

On May 11, Lumina Pangamadon, election officer of Columbio town in Sultan Kudarat, abandoned her post after receiving death threats.

In General Santos City, Fr. Fred Maghanoy, chairman of the Sarangani People's Alliance for Reform  and Good Governance that has been critical of government officials, received death threats.

In Davao City, the heavy presence of members of the Task Force Davao at the City Council building during the canvassing drew criticism. The police chief had said that the soldiers were there to secure the ballots and the building.

Isidro Lapena, the police chief of the Southern Mindanao region, said last week that the elections were “generally peaceful” despite these incidents. Lapena was also the commander of the Joint Task Force for Poll Security organized by the Comelec.

Lt. Agane Adriatico, the commanding officer of the 5th Civil Relations Service of the armed forces, said the “coordinated effort” of both the military and police will continue until “this election will be concluded.”

Progressive groups, however, had a different assessment. “This year's election is one of the most violent and dirtiest in Philippine history,” said Bayan-Southern Mindanao spokesperson Jeppie Ramada in a statement. “With the entry of progressive party-list groups in the electoral race, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and the Armed Forces of the Philippines have unleashed State-sponsored, military-managed electoral fraud and terrorism against them.”

It said that in the run-up to the elections, more than 10 leaders and members of progressive party-list groups nationwide had been killed while three were declared missing.

No. 1 perpetrator

The National Democratic Front (NDF) in Mindanao said the state, its armed apparatus and political parties allied with Arroyo were the "No. 1 perpetrator of election violence.”

According to the NDF's monitoring of election violence, a total of 47 individuals died in 82 reported incidents of ambushes, raids, abductions and warrantless arrests, summary killings, strafing, physical harm and grave threats in the run-up to the elections. Of these, 66 incidents – in which 37 were killed -- were attributed by the front to the armed forces and the administration party.

Out of the 82 reported attacks, the NDF said 15 were committed by the New People’s Army that resulted in the deaths of 10 individuals. Four of these attacks were election-related while the rest were "military actions against legitimate military targets and related to the implementation of revolutionary justice."

The military has consistently blamed the Communists for many of the attacks during the campaign period. It has also accused the NPA of extorting permit-to-campaign fees and revolutionary taxes and attacking those who refused to pay. Bulatlat.com

Back to top

We want to know what you think of this article.