|
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Marines, backed by tanks, guard Basilan canvass
By Bong Garcia
ISABELA CITY, Basilan -- The canvassing of votes for Sumisip town was transferred Tuesday to the provincial Capitol building in this city after gunmen attacked the school where it was previously held.
Unidentified men bombed a school in Lamitan City, where the canvassing was first transferred to from Sumisip for security purposes. Three persons were injured in Monday night's blast.
Pinoy Votes: Sun.Star Election 2007 Coverage
View here the list of local winners
The explosion, coming from an M-79 grenade launcher, occurred shortly before 8 p.m. Monday while the canvassing for Sumisip town was being held inside the Lamitan elementary school.
Three supporters of Sumisip mayoralty candidate Haber Asarul and incumbent Basilan Governor Wahab Akbar were injured in the incident. Police identified them as Nasser Asarul, Ben Idris, and Jalil Paris.
The three wounded watchers were rushed to a hospital in Lamitan for treatment.
Akbar is leading with 24,687 votes over his closest rival in a one-on-one race for the lone congressional district. Akbar garnered 66,264 votes as against Jim Hataman-Saliman's 41,586 votes.
Akbar, who was saddened by the incident, accused his opponents of being behind the incident.
Asarul, one of the wounded watchers of Akbar, said they were eating in a waiting shed when the incident occurred.
Following the blast, Marine troops backed by two V-300 tanks were dispatched to secure the provincial Capitol compound, where the canvassing was transferred for the second time. Policemen were also deployed in and around the place.
The road leading to the Capitol building was temporarily closed to traffic while all people entering the compound were required to wear identification cards and to undergo inspection before being allowed entry.
The explosion Monday night was the second that took place in a canvassing area in Basilan.
Last Wednesday, a Commission on Elections (Comelec) staff was injured when a grenade lobbed at the student center of Basilan State College (BSC) in this city exploded.
The incident happened while the municipal board of canvassers was canvassing the votes for Lantawan town at the BSC's student center.
A second grenade landed beneath the table of the board of canvassers but failed to explode.
Except for the town of Sumisip, the canvassing of votes in all other cities and towns had been completed.
Basilan is made up of the cities of Lamitan and Isabela, the province's capital, and the towns of Tuburan, Tipo-Tipo, Sumisip, Lantawan, Maluso, Ungkaya Pukan, Al-Barka, Akbar and Mohammad Ajul.
Ungkaya Pukan, Al-Barka, Akbar and Mohammad Ajul are newly created towns. It was crafted into towns through an act passed by the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) last year. (Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Pangasinan. (May 23, 2007 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
|
|
[return to top]
[home]
|
|
Poll body sets aside Maguindanao COC