COTABATO CITY (MindaNews / 16 May) – While the conduct of the midterm national and local elections in the Bangsamoro region was marred by intimidation, violent confrontation between opposing camps, and allegations of flying voters and vote-buying, a poll watchdog cited “good practices” that can be replicated in the region’s historic parliamentary elections.
The civil society organization-led Independent Election Monitoring Center (IEMC), which the Commission on Elections (Comelec) recognized as a poll monitor in the Bangsamoro region and Sulu for the May 12 elections, expressed hopes that the experiences and challenges encountered during the recent elections will pave the way for crucial reforms for the first parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on October 13.
The IEMC was also authorized by the Comelec to act as election monitor for the Bangsamoro Parliamentary elections. It is a collaborative initiative among the Institute for Autonomy and Governance (IAG), National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL), Notre Dame University (NDU), Notre Dame Broadcasting Corporation (NDBC), Climate and Conflict Action Asia (CCAA), Coalition for Social Accountability and Transparency (CSAT), and the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV).
Lawyer Benedicto Bacani, IAG executive director and IEMC lead convenor, said the group would recommend policies for the conduct of a more credible, safe and peaceful elections in the future based on their observations in the recent polls.
“What we are looking at here as a response is can we do a preemptive action by making policy. (For example) it is not legal to have an assembly or massing of people in polling centers when they are not voters,” he said.
Retired military Colonel Dickson Hermoso, a security consultant for the IEMC, said that most of the cases they monitored in the May 12 elections include intimidation and coercion, show of force by rival camps, and the use of goons.
Despite the challenges, the IEMC acknowledged some positive developments.
It noted the Comelec’s implementation of special voting hours for pregnant voters, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities (PWDs), which demonstrated a commitment for inclusivity.
Furthermore, the IEMC highlighted the crucial role played by the existing Memorandum of Understanding between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the national government.
The agreement, stipulating the MILF’s non-interference in political conflicts, contributed significantly to maintaining a degree of stability during the election period, the group noted.
On the other hand, there were several negative incidents recorded on election day in parts of the BARMM.
In Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte, tensions flared even before the official start of voting after supporters of the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP), the MILF’s political party, blocked the municipal hall’s exit gate.
Their action prevented military trucks from distributing election materials, including ballots and voting machines.
The UBJP supporters demanded that police officers, rather than teachers, serve as the Board of Canvassers, citing concerns about impartiality following the area’s declaration as a Comelec-controlled zone.
“We were surprised when we learned that those policemen who were about to serve as Board of Canvassers were replaced. We cannot allow those teachers, some are mere volunteers, whom we petitioned to suddenly come in. We just wanted a fair election for our people,” said Bobsteel Sinsuat, the leader of the protesters who won the vice mayoralty race.
In Buluan, Maguindanao del Sur, authorities apprehended four men in possession of high-powered firearms and explosives and at least 50 individuals alleged to be “flying voters.”
Former Maguindanao Governor Esmael Mangudadatu, a congressional candidate, emphasized the potential “for widespread chaos had these individuals not been apprehended.”
“Had they been not stopped, it would be chaotic or would be bloody again in my town,” Mangudadatu, former vice mayor of the locality, said.
Later in the day, fear gripped Ampatuan, Maguindanao del Sur as loud gunfire and explosions echoed through the town’s poblacion. It prompted the voting to stop with soldiers and police officers immediately deployed to the Datu Sangki Ampatuan Central Elementary School.
Cotabato City also witnessed election-related unrest, with authorities arresting individuals carrying blunt weapons. Incidents of stabbing and physical assault between opposing parties were also recorded. (Ferdinandh Cabrera / MindaNews)
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