Fewer incidents of poll-related violence in 2013 — PNP

The Philippine National Police (PNP) recorded about 81 incidents of election-related violence across the country from the period of January 13 to election day, according to the latest election-related incident report. The total is lower than the recorded number of poll-related incidents during election periods 2010 and 2007, PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Generoso Cerbo Jr. told GMA News Online Tuesday. Of the total, 67 were shooting incidents. The others were four cases of explosion, two incidents of ambush, two of grenade throwing, two of strafing, two of harassment, and two other undisclosed incidents. Fifty have been killed—including elected government officials, police, military, civilians and a candidate—and 65 were wounded in various election-related violent incidents, according to the report. Cerbo said the number of incidents for election day are not yet complete as some of their regional offices have yet to provide the PNP an official report. "Kaninang umaga ko pa iyon hinihingi," he said. NPA attacks Among the violent incidents during the election period was the attack on the convoy of Gingoog, Misamis Oriental mayor Ruthie Guingona, the mother of Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, by the New People's Army guerrillas last month. Rebels fired at the mayor's vehicle, killing driver Tomas Velasco and his brother, Nestor, who was an alternate driver. Mayor Guingona and one of the police escorts, PO3 Rolando Benemirito, were injured. The military has called it an ambush, while the NPA insists that it was a checkpoint operation gone awry. AFP Public Affairs Office Chief Major Ramon Zagala told GMA News Online that the NPA "checkpoints" sprout during election season because communist rebels extort more money from the people by setting up roadblocks and asking for "permit to campaign" and "permit to win" fees. "They are aggressive since it is the time for them to extort money. However, the AFP responded accordingly even before the campaign period by aggressively conducting combat operations in conjunction with support to law enforcement operations of the PNP to prevent, deter, and foil armed struggle of the NPA," he said. The NPA's target amount this year was higher than in 2010, but security forces were able to deter the extortion attempts, according to Zagala. "Their extortion target [this year] is P500 million as discovered in captured documents, but they were not able to do so," he said. "Kung aggressive sila, aggressive rin kami," he added. During the run-up to the elections President Benigno Aquino III ordered government security forces to conduct operations against the rebels' extortion attempts. Less violent "Kung ikukumpara natin sa mga nakaraang eleksyon ay tahimik, maliban na lamang doon sa mangilan-ngilan lamang na mga insidente na alam nating nai-report na sa inyo," said P/Dir. Lina Sarmiento, task group commander of the National Task Force SAFE (Secure and Fair Elections) 2013, in an earlier interview with GMA News' Vicky Morales on News TV Live. 2010 stats In 2010, the PNP recorded about 176 incidents of election-related violence from the period of January 10 to June 9, 2010. Of the 176 incidents, 99 were shooting incidents. The others included 25 instances of explosion, nine incidents of harassment, and six of arson, according to the police statistics report. Fifty-four were killed, including four candidates; 78 were wounded, and 13 went missing, it added. In addition, one of the most notorious instances election-related violence in the world happened during the filing of candidacy for the 2010 elections, when 58 people, including 32 journalists, were massacred in Ampatuan town in Maguindanao on November 23, 2009. President Benigno Aquino III has given instructions to Justice Secretary Leila de Lima to "vigorously" oppose any attempt to delay the three-year-old Ampatuan massacre trial. 2007 stats In 2007, there were 229 recorded incidents of election-related violence across the country from the period of January 10 to June 9, 2007. Of the total, 105 were shooting incidents. The other cases included 16 incidents of explosion, 11 of ambush, and 50 of harassment. Eleven candidates were among the 121 killed, while 176 people were wounded, according to police statistics report. Sarmiento said the lower recorded violence in 2013 may be attributed to the early preparations by law enforcers. "Dahilan ito sa napakaagang simula ng PNP sa kanyang paghahanda para sa darating na halalan," she said. — BM, GMA News