ARMM elections 'peaceful' despite NCotabato clashes

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday declared the elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao “peaceful" despite clashes between government troops and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters in the provinces of North Cotabato and Basilan. "There were minor incidents only. No shooting involved...no violence," Comelec Chairman Jose Melo told reporters in Manila. He described Monday's polls, the first ever automated election in the country, as “very, very peaceful" and the voter turnout “very, very good." In a press conference in its main office in Manila, the Comelec noted a 60 to 65-percent turnout for Tawi-Tawi and 60 percent for Lanao del Sur, Shariff Kabunsuan and Maguindanao. Henrietta T. de Villa, Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting head, said her group had noted a 60 to 70-percent voter turnout, contrary to fears that people might be discouraged to vote for security reasons. The ARMM elections were the first under Melo as Comelec chief. These were held despite ongoing skirmishes in several towns of North Cotabato, where government forces tried to drive away MILF fighters who occupied several villages. Meanwhile, a soldier was killed and three others were wounded when suspected MILF fighters tried to take over the town of Tipo-Tipo in Basilan province, which is part of the ARMM. Armed Forces vice chief of staff Lt. Gen. Cardozo Luna said government troops cleared two of the 15 villages in Midsayap town in North Cotabato that have been occupied by MILF fighters. "The operation is going on and it has been going on for more than 24 hours already.... As of now we have already cleared two villages out of the 15 villages (occupied by the MILF)," Luna said in a telephone interview. Fighting in North Cotabato has been raging since Sunday morning. The MILF earlier requested for the postponement of ARMM polls. Deployment Days before the elections, the military set up checkpoints in various areas in the ARMM to ensure order during the political exercise. A total of 11,000 soldiers and 7,000 police officers were deployed in strategic areas in the region to secure the elections, the sixth since 1990. Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres, Armed Forces spokesman, said troops were pulled out from different camps of Luzon and the Visayas to augment troops in the ARMM. "We are giving priority to our security operations in the ARMM elections. This is to ensure a peaceful and orderly conduct of ARMM elections," Torres said. The Comelec earlier declared 49 villages in the region as hot spots while 887 others have been considered "areas of concern." Chief Superintendent Joel Goltiao, ARMM police director, said the hot spots are villages located near camps of the MILF, the Moro National Liberation Front and the bandit group Abu Sayyaf. Irregularities Foreign and local election observers noted that irregularities marred Monday's elections. Tadzrul Adha Tahir of the Asian Network for Free Elections said his team was “surprised" when policemen fired warning shots to pacify unruly supporters of political candidates in Lanao del Sur. Volunteers from the Citizens Coalition for ARMM Electoral Reforms reported incidents of cheating despite the automated casting of votes. Reports of irregularities reached the volunteer organization's office as early as 7 a.m. Monday. In several polling centers, volunteers reported that teachers did not mark the fingers of voters who already cast their votes. Volunteers also reported that voters in the village of Igabay in Kapatagan town did not immediately dropped their ballots in the yellow boxes as they waited for candidates to buy their votes. In Basilan, reports of ballot snatching and non-appearance of election officials hindered the elections in the villages of Tumahubong and Baiwas in Sumisip town. In Maguindanao, 47 of the 3,050 direct recording electronic machines, one of the two technologies used in the automated ARMM polls, malfunctioned, causing a delay in the voting. Results As of 8 p.m. Monday, the Comelec said election results were already in from the provinces: 25.21 percent of Maguindanao; 9.2 percent of Tawi-Tawi; 3.94 percent of Lanao del Sur; 2.86 percent of Basilan; 2.75 percent of Shariff Kabunsuan; and 2.15 percent of Sulu. The poll body refused to release the initial results of the elections to avoid trending. "We don't release partial results as a matter of policy. We don't want to avoid any appearance of trending," Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez told reporters. Based on figures released by the Comelec, a total of 1,516,775 voters registered for the ARMM polls, most of them in Lanao del Sur. - GMANews.TV