US envoy alarmed over spate of election violence

The United States is alarmed by the spate of election-related killings in the country and will send diplomats to observe the May 14 senatorial and local elections.

"We’re all watching elections with interest, it’s a great time for people to exercise their democratic rights, and I think we’re all concerned when we see violence," US Ambassador Kristie Kenney said. "I think it’s always sad to see violence associated with elections or violence in general."

Police said at least 75 people have been killed and 82 wounded since the start of the campaign on Jan. 14. In the 2004 presidential and senatorial elections, there were reportedly 150 deaths.

Kenney was at Malacañang for the ceremonial switching on of the expanded rural electrification program for some 40,000 barangays in the country, led by President Arroyo and witnessed by Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla and Mirant president Jose Leviste Jr.

Kenney told Palace reporters she believes the Philippines is "generally a very peaceful country" and that its "people are compassionate and kind."

"I would hope that that spirit would carry on to elections," she said.

"It’s one thing to have differences of opinion, that’s what democracy is all about, your job is to report what the different candidates think and offer as programs but you would have to see the elections proceed very peacefully," she said.

Kenney said she hopes for "our friends in the Philippines (to have) peaceful elections, one that is transparent and fair and lets people express their views in a way all citizens are free to do."

Kenney said some diplomats from the US Embassy in Manila would be sent out to different polling precincts in the country to observe the conduct of the elections.

"They (US diplomats) won’t be monitoring in that classic sense. (They’re) just going out to observe to see how the voting goes like. We’d like to learn more to watch our Filipino friends exercise their democratic rights," she said.