ARMM officials sign peace covenant

Officials and candidates running for various positions in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) have signed last week a peace covenant, the Philippine Information Agency in Northern Mindanao reported.

 

The covenant requires them to abide with election rules and regulations, maintain good relations with each other, and avoid any form of fraud for an honest, orderly, peaceful and credible elections.

 

Ma. Amelia Rowena Guanzon, Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioner and head of the agency’s Gender and Development Focal Point System executive committee, said the agreement shows the commitment of the candidates for the conduct of peaceful elections.

 

“I hope that this peace covenant will bind each of the candidates to the value of mutual respect, non-violence and peace,” she said.

 

“We assure you that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) are working with the Comelec to ensure that we will have zero election-related violence in the 2016 elections,” she added.

 

PNP statistics showed 391 incidents of Election-Related Violence were recorded in the region during the 2010 national elections while there were 196 cases in the 2013 midterm elections.

 

The covenant was signed on Friday, March 4, at the Shariff Kabunsuan Cultural Complex during a forum on gender and ERVs. — BAP, GMA News