Failure of elections declared in 2 Basilan towns

Citing the "uncontrollable situation" there, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) declared a failure of elections in two towns in Basilan province. Sun-Star online reported Tuesday that the failure of elections was declared in Akbar and Sumisip towns, where poll-related violence was rampant. It said Comelec ARMM election officer Teofisto Elnas decided to declare failure of elections in the two towns due to the "uncontrollable situation." Basilan consists of Isabela City, Lamitan, Tuburan, Tipo-Tipo, Sumisip, Lantawan, Maluso, Al-Barka, Akbar, Ajul and Ungkaya Pukan. Al-Barka, Akbar, Ajul and Ungkaya Pukan are newly created towns crafted out of Tuburan and Tipo-Tipo through an act adopted last year by the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Hajarun Jamiri, a mayoral candidate in the town of Akbar, survived an attack at 7:30 a.m. Monday when gunmen fired while he was casting his vote in Semut village. One of Jamiri’s followers died when he rushed to Jamiri’s rescue while three other supporters were wounded. The gunmen managed to escape. Unidentified gunmen, meanwhile, burned down the elementary school in Barangay Bakung in Sumisip town at around 2 a.m. Monday. Three registered voters, including a relative of Anak Mindanao party-list Representative Mujiv Hataman, were wounded in an ambush staged by alleged allies of Hataman’s political rivals. Hataman’s brother Boy is seeking reelection for mayor in the town of Sumisip while another brother, Jim, is a candidate for the lone congressional district of Basilan province. Col. Ramiro Alivio, 1st Marine Brigade chief, said firefight broke out Monday morning between two armed groups in the barangays of Basak and Buli-Buli. Alivio said they were not yet able to identify the protagonists involved in the fighting. No casualties were reported. He also cited reports that fighting broke out Monday morning in Bubuan Island, Sumisip town. Last Thursday, the Marines seized an M-60 machine gun, three M-16 Armalite rifles including one with an attached M-203, a Garand Rifle, and several rounds of ammunition in Sumisip. Lawyer Paisal Padate, the acting provincial election supervisor in Basilan, was meeting with his staff and the Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs) to find solutions to the problems in Akbar and Sumisip towns. - GMANews.TV