|
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Barricade, mayor's arrest mar 'peaceful' polls
By Ben O. Tesiorna
DAVAO CITY -- A barricade on a town hall, delayed delivery of ballots, and the arrest of a mayor Monday marred what poll officials described as the most peaceful elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm).
Hundreds of residents of South Upi in Maguindanao barricaded the municipal hall Monday morning, preventing election officers from delivering the ballot boxes to the different polling precincts.
Commission on Elections (Comelec) Task Force Maguindanao chief of staff Zacarias Zaragoza, however, said Monday they were able to negotiate with protesters belonging to the South Upi Multi-sectoral Group who eventually agreed to remove the barricade. Poll officials later had helicopters pick up the ballot boxes in the municipal hall and deliver these to far-flung polling precincts.
He said if there was a need to extend the voting beyond 3 p.m. to accommodate voters, then this would be done.
Voting extended
Election officials eventually decided by 4 p.m. Monday to extend voting in South Upi to until 10 a.m. Tuesday.
The group who barricaded the municipal hall was protesting the delay in the proclamation by Comelec of the winning mayoralty candidate in the May 2004 local elections.
Protesters led by 2004 mayoral candidate Israel Sinsuat said Comelec must first settle his electoral protest against mayoral candidate Antonio Gunsi and vice mayoral candidate Abdullah Kampong.
Because of the protest, Armm Governor Parouk Hussin designated in 2004 Datu Jaabar Sinsuat as acting mayor.
Gunsi reportedly got 1,900 votes while Sinsuat garnered 1,600 votes.
Zaragoza said they promised residents that the winner for the mayoralty post would be proclaimed right after the Armm election.
Poll turnout
Turnout of voters in Monday's polls was highest in Maguindanao, estimated between 70 to 80 percent.
The Comelec estimated the turnout in Lanao del Sur to be about 60 percent while it was a measly 16 to 30 percent in Basilan, the bailiwick of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), which called for a boycott.
The Muslim autonomous region is composed of the provinces of Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur and Marawi City.
About 1.2 million registered voters were to choose Monday their new governor, vice governor, and 24 members of the Regional Legislative Assembly (RLA).
Comelec Commissioner Resurreccion Borra, who is charged with overseeing the voting in Lanao del Sur, said "there were some isolated election-related cases but generally it went well."
Mayor's arrest
Among the isolated incidents that marred Monday's polls was the arrest of Mayor Muslimen Alimbakarat Macabato, of Lumbatan, Lanao del Sur, whose bodyguards fired shots for 10 to 20 minutes near polling precincts, sowing fear among election inspectors assigned in the area and causing a delay in the voting. The precincts in the area opened at 11 a.m. instead.
Comelec Chair Benjamin Abalos ordered Macabato's immediate arrest after also confirming reports that the mayor's men entered polling precincts in the area at 7 a.m. Monday.
A military contingent of the joint Task Force Hope-Armm was immediately deployed to the area to address the situation.
Abalos said Mayor Macabato clearly violated election laws and would be charged, adding "he has no right to stop the polls".
Borra said in Lanao del Sur province that an investigation will be conducted on the incident. Other than that, Borra said the elections in Lanao del Sur were "peaceful and orderly".
Missing boxes
In the municipality of Paglas, Maguindanao, no ballot boxes could be found until 12 noon Monday, leaving 3,292 registered voters unable to cast their vote.
Comelec officials, however, said all of the ballot boxes had been distributed to the respective municipalities. They said they are still ascertaining the reason for the missing ballot boxes as of 1 p.m. Monday.
In Basilan, failure of elections might be declared in some villages in Tuburan, after several ballot boxes containing 1,200 ballots were stolen Sunday evening and returned completely filled up, Comelec Commissioner Mehol Sadain said.
Sadain said the Board of Election Inspectors in the area could be charged if they failed to explain why the ballot boxes were stolen.
On alert
Security forces in the Armm have been placed on the highest alert level as early as Saturday. Some 7,000 policemen and 3,000 military soldiers were deployed to ensure peace and order and to assist the Comelec in moving election paraphernalia.
The Armm election was held with the Comelec's integrity in doubt over allegations that former commissioner Virgilio Garcillano allegedly conspired with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to rig the 2004 presidential polls.
Mindanao had been cited as the region where there was alleged massive poll fraud.
Marines Brigadier General Ben Dolorfino, commander of Task Force Hope (honest, orderly, and peaceful elections), had said that the military would "redeem" itself by ensuring honest and peaceful elections in the Armm.
Even the candidates attested that the election Monday is so far the most peaceful and credible election held in Armm. (Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)
(August 9, 2005 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
|
|
|
[return to top]
[home]
|
|
