PNP: 2013 barangay polls more violent than in 2010

Barangay elections prompted more incidents of violence this year than in 2010, the last time that village leaders were elected, the Philippine National Police said.

The PNP has recorded 40 incidents so far, up from 25 in 2010. According to data recorded since the start of the election period on September 28, 22 have died in poll-related violence and 37 were wounded.

At least five were killed on the election day alone - two in Negros Occidental, and one each in Maguindanao, Basilan, and Samar, the national police said.

But the latest tally is much lower than the record set in the 2007 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, which saw 101 election-related incidents. Violence related to those elections left 27 dead and 45 wounded, police said.
 
The Commission on Elections has deputized the police and military to ensure peace and orderly barangay elections. Around 54 million voters were expected to vote in 170,603 clustered precincts spread throughout the country's 42,028 barangays. — Marc Jayson Cayabyab/JDS/KBK, GMA News