ONE was dead, while five others were wounded in a shooting incident involving the supporters of two mayoral aspirants in Shariff Aguak in Maguindanao del Sur on Tuesday, October 8, 2024.
The shooting happened hours before the closing of the filing of certificate of candidacy (COC) for the 2025 midterm elections.
In a radio interview, Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Brigadier General Jean Fajardo said the incident happened around noon time, 200 to 300 meters away from the municipal compound of the town where the local Commission on Elections (Comelec) office was located.
“Tinitingnan pa rin natin kung ito ba ay politically motivated dahil accordingly, ‘yung tatlo dito sa biktima ay supporters ng incumbent mayor samantalang ‘yung tatlo naman ay supporters nung tumatakbo na mayor na lalabanan itong incumbent mayor,” she said.
(We are still looking to see if this is politically motivated because accordingly, the three victims here are supporters of the incumbent mayor while the other three were supporters of the running mayor who will fight against the incumbent mayor.)
“Sa ngayon ay ito lamang itong insidente ang naitala natin sa loob ng walong araw na pagfa-file ng COC dahil sa kabuuan naman ay naging mapayapa ‘yung naging pagfa-file ng COC except of course itong insidente na ito sa last day ng filing ay nagkaroon ng ganitong insidente,” she added.
(So far, this is the only incident we have recorded during the eight days of COC filing because overall, the COC filing has been peaceful except of course this incident, which happened on the last day of filing.)
Despite the incident, Comelec Chairman George Garcia said the filing of COC in Shariff Aguak continued through the immediate activation of a satellite venue.
Fajardo assured, however, that security protocols were in place to ensure the peace and order ahead of the 2025 midterm polls in May.
In an interview with reporters, newly assumed Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said that as instructed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., they are aiming for a zero-casualty 2025 midterm polls.
“We will enlist the help of all agencies and government to make it as peaceful as possible. Our aim is zero casualties for 2025,” he said.
He said the assessment for the identification of election hotspots is ongoing. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)