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Thursday, May 13, 2004
1 die, 2 hurt in ballot-snatching incidents
A CIVILIAN doing election duties was killed, while two persons were wounded in five separate ballot-snatching incidents in the provinces of Isabela, La Union and Kalinga last Tuesday.
In San Mariano, Isabela, three still unidentified men barged into the session hall of San Mariano municipal hall and burned the ballots that were being kept there. The perpetrators also carted away at least 10 ballot boxes.
One of perpetrators shot dead a duty officer and wounded another before they left the area.
Also in Isabela, 16 armed men ransacked the municipal hall of Jones and likewise set on fire the election canvass returns and other election paraphernalia.
Meanwhile, indiscriminate firing incident happened in front of Tubao municipal hall in La Union. The perpetrators, who were clad in civilian attire and were believed to be members of Private Armed Groups (PAGs), attempted to grab several ballot boxes but the policemen and soldiers assigned to monitor the canvassing of votes in the town quickly responded to the area.
The PAGs fired at the responding lawmen, prompting them to fire back after which the perpetrators fled.
Also in Tubao, La Union, two unidentified armed men snatched two ballot boxes in Barangay Amallapay. However, local policemen were able to recover one of the ballot boxes containing election returns during a follow-up operation. No one was arrested.
In the province of Kalinga, 11 ballot boxes from Barangay Tuglao West were snatched in Sitio Bangingit, Poblacion Tinglayan. The ballot boxes were reportedly being transferred from polling precincts to the municipal hall of Poblacion Tinglayan when the perpetrators snatched the ballot boxes.
The PNP and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) have dispatched additional policemen and soldiers in northern Luzon to avoid a repetition of ballot-snatching incidents in the area. JFF
(May 13, 2004 issue)
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