CHR asks police to solve election-related violence

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has called on law enforcement agencies to go after those behind poll-related violent incidents reported during the conduct of the 2022 national and local elections.

In a press statement Thursday, CHR spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia said the commission is focusing on 16 separate poll-related incidents largely monitored in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) during the May 9 election day.

This comes a day after the Commission on Elections (Comelec) declared failure of elections in 14 barangays in Lanao del Sur on Wednesday due to damaged vote counting machines (VCMs) and official ballots resulting from election-related violence.

“These incidents of shootings, strafing, and use of exploding devices not only seek to sow fear and discord on the day of elections but also mar the credibility of the elections,” De Guia said.

“We urge law enforcement officials to conduct follow-up operations on individuals responsible so that they may be held accountable for their crimes,” she said.

Likewise, the CHR urged the Comelec to explain the massive technical glitches encountered during election day which resulted in delays in voting in several areas in the country.

“In ensuring the credibility of the elections, the Commission on Elections has the utmost responsibility to explain to the Filipino citizenry the reasons for multiple and numerous VCM malfunctions and delay in of arrival of SD cards; provide countermeasures to ensure non-recurrence of these problems in the next elections,” it said.

The AFP earlier concluded that Eleksyon 2022 was “generally peaceful,"

CHR, however, warned individuals or groups from intimidating volunteers or those involved in the parallel counting of election returns saying the “important process” is vital in ensuring the legitimacy of the elections and is a part of a “normal functioning democracy.”

“In safeguarding the sanctity of the vote, CHR urges citizens to respect and honor procedures that ensure its transparency,” it said.

Based on the partial, unofficial tally from 98.35 percent of election returns from the Comelec Transparency Servers, the UniTeam tandem of former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio remain the leading candidates in Eleksyon 2022.

As of 3 p.m. on May 12, Marcos Jr. got 31, 104, 060 votes while Duterte-Carpio has 31, 561, 724.—LDF, GMA News