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Monday, July 25, 2005
Army, task force ready for autonomous region polls
By Lino dela Cruz
Iligan correspondent
MARAWI CITY -- The military warned on Sunday would-be cheaters in the coming Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) elections that they will be under the watchful eyes of the Task Force Hope and will prosecute violators.
During a rally held last Saturday here, Brigadier General Ben Dolorfino, Marines 2nd Brigade commander and chief of the Task Force Hope (Honest Orderly Peaceful Election) which is deputized by the Commission on Election (Comelec), warned, "Maraming mga mata ang nakatutok sa inyo and we will prosecute even military men na tumatanggap ng pera (Many eyes will be watching you, and we will prosecute even military men who will receive bribes)".
Marines 1st Brigade commander Amando Melo advised the people to simply receive the money from vote buyers but vote according their conscience.
"Tanggapin ninyo ang pera pero bumoto kayo sa kung sino man ang nasa kunsiyensa ninyo (You accept the money that will be given to you by candidates but vote according to your conscience)."
Dolorfino said the delivery of election paraphernalia will be done in such a way that there will be no opportunity for cheaters to fill up the blank ballots even before the actual voting starts and the immediate retrieval of election returns.
"We have enough manpower and we will use the resources of the military to ensure that the election paraphernalia are delivered safely and on time and the election returns secured." Dolorfino added.
For his part, Lanao del Sur Governor Aleem Bashier Manalao told the people "Let us make this election a shining example that it is honest, orderly and peaceful" as he called on the Commission on Election, the National Movement for Free Election (Namfrel) and the non-government organizations to protect the sanctity of the ballots.
Local officials and candidates see this as a positive development for the conduct of the Armm election on August 8, this year, following the controversy of the "Garci" tapes that triggered a political storm in the country.
"This election is a lithmus test for the Armm to see if we can hold an honest, orderly and peaceful election" said Dolorfino.
Some candidates expressed confidence that the Armm election will be a clean one after the "Garci" tapes controversy and the creation of the Task Force Hope.
Dolorfino revealed that there are no reported incidence of election related violence since the start of the 45-day campaign period two weeks ago.
(July 25, 2005 issue)
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