Tension erupts on last day of voter registration in Lanao del Norte town

Tension erupted during the last day of voter registration for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) in Magsaysay, Lanao del Norte.

Video footage showed several women rushing inside a gymnasium after hearing a series of gunfire in Barangay Poblacion.

Police officers then controlled the crowd.

However, the situation worsened when several men joined the commotion, prompting authorities to fire warning shots.

According to the Lanao del Norte Police Provincial Office (LDNPPO), the tension began when individuals who allegedly no longer reside in the town attempted to register.

“Allegedly, ‘yung iba, hindi nakatira sa barangay, pero taga-doon, ang claim naman ng kabila ay bakit kayo mag-re-register dito na hindi naman kayo taga-dito. Kasi naghahanapbuhay sila sa mga adjacent municipalities,” LDNPPO PCADU Chief, Lt. Col. Cadapi Dansal, said.

(Allegedly, there were some who no longer lived in the barangay, but said they were from there, and the other side questioned why they were registering there when they were not locals. That they were working at adjacent municipalities.)

The commotion reportedly lasted for quite some time since most of those involved were women, and female police officers were not enough.

However, no one was reported hurt in the incident, and the voter registration finished successfully.

“Based on the investigation ng ating kapulisan, ‘yung AFP personnel, nag-warning para ma-pacify agad nila ang parties na involved sa commotion,” Dansal added.

(Based on police investigation, the soldiers fired warning shots to pacify the parties involved in the commotion.)

Police assured that the incident was an isolated case.

GMA Regional TV One Mindanao is reaching out to the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) for a statement, as of this writing. —James Paolo Yap, GMA Regional TV News