2007 Elections: Peaceful for Comelec, violent for activists

On Tuesday, a teacher and a poll watcher were burned to death when unidentified men set on fire a school precinct in Taysan, Batangas. This election-related violence did not only happen in that area. As of last count by the Philippine National Police, the election-related death toll has reached 126 – 60 of them were politicians, while the rest were either political followers or civilians. Is the May 2007 election marred by violence? Violence - though obviously not similar to beauty – appears to depend on the eyes of the beholder. For the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the polls are more peaceful now than in the past and are “without major trouble." “From all indications, 2007 will be without major trouble. It was better than previous elections. Its conduct was orderly and the incidence of violence was fewer," James Jimenez, Comelec spokesman told GMANews.TV on Tuesday. In fact, Jimenez said the National Movement for Free Elections and the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting said that election in Camarines Sur “is so far the most peaceful." “We are very happy hearing the same sentiments being echoed in other parts of the country," Jimenez added. He said the prevalence of violence now is not as worse as before. “Usually violence spikes before election day but now, it happened after elections and is now on a downward trend." Bulatlat reported that the cause-oriented group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan or New Patriotic Alliance) believes otherwise. The group sees red, assailing those who think that the election was rosy. "The PNP and the Comelec continue to paint a rosy picture of the elections," said Bayan chairperson Carol Araullo. "There is hardly any recognition of the gravity of the problems of violence, disenfranchisement, vote-buying and outright vote manipulation." The poll watchdog Kontra Daya on Monday reported a number of ballot-snatching incidents in vote-rich Mindanao, which has a total of 10.8 million registered voters based on Comelec data. Gunshots and a blackout reportedly occurred in Wao, Lanao del Sur, according to Kontra Daya. Failure of elections has been declared in 14 towns in the said province. In Zamboanga del Sur, Kontra Daya reported, a grenade exploded just five meters away from a polling precinct, wounding one Alejandro Blanca. In Quezon Licab and Guimba, Nueva Ecija, around 200 supporters of incumbent mayor formed a barricade preventing mayoral candidate Denis Alejandro from entering the polling precinct to cast his vote. Ballot-snatching incidents were also reported in Caloocan City. "How can they say that the elections are peaceful when more than 100 have died and the death count is expected to get higher?" Araullo said. - GMANews.TV