Tight security for Maguindanao barangay polls

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines - Poll officials, the police and military started distributing election materials as early as 3 a.m.  Monday under tight security to hostile barangays as part of the measures to ensure violence-free and orderly barangay polls.

“We’re not taking chances. We have very tight security in areas where we feel we shall experience some problems,” said lawyer Udtog Tago, Maguindanao’s election supervisor.

The central office of the Commission on Elections had assigned more than 600 policemen in Maguindanao, a component province of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, to help administer the October 28 barangay elections in lieu of teachers who have asked to be relieved from poll duties due to either security reasons, or their being related with candidates.

“Some barangays in the province have virtually unopposed re-electionist officials while some have multiple candidates for barangay chairman. We have enough policemen and soldiers to secure these areas,” Tago said.

Tago cited as example the supposedly small Barangay Nuyo in Buldon, an impoverished town in the first district of Maguindanao, where there are more than a dozen candidates for barangay chairman, all of them related to each either by blood, or by affinity.

Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu, chairman of the provincial peace and order council, on Saturday urged his 36 constituent-mayors to refrain from interfering in the barangay elections in their respective towns.

“This is absolutely a non-political exercise. All we have to do is just help the Comelec administer peaceful and clean elections in the municipalities of Maguindanao and let voters freely vote for their favored candidates,” Mangudadatu said.

Mangudadatu said he has directed the provincial police director, Senior Supt. Rodelio Jocson, to provide the office of Tago enough policemen as a “rapid deployment contingent” that can be mobilized anytime in case of emergencies.

“That would be a different contingency group from the police operatives that came from Luzon and Visayas to help administer the elections in areas where teachers have refused to serve. We are providing Comelec all the support we can extend,” Mangudadatu said.

All candidates for barangay positions in the political stronghold of the Mangudadatu clan, the adjoining Buluan, Pandag and Manggudadatu towns, are seeking re-election unopposed.

All of the candidates in all of the more than 30 barangays of Datu Odin Sinsuat, hometown of Maguindanao Gov. Lester Sinsuat, are also unopposed.

A former election lawyer who is now a member of the provincial board, Bobby Katambak, said the office of Mangudadatu is ready to help prosecute candidates who will violate any of the provisions of the Omnibus Election Code.

“All of the incumbent barangay officials seeking re-election should help ensure peaceful and honest elections in their turfs because there is this Comelec Resolution 9800, promulgated October 22, 2013, which says the Comelec shall assume control of barangays where elections failed. There will be no holdover of barangay officials thus,” Katambak said.

Katambak said under Comelec Resolution 9800, barangays that failed to hold elections due to terrorism, violence, and other issues, including anomalies,  shall be placed under a Comelec-led task force, which is to be comprised of security authorities and poll officials.

“Sometimes there are people who want failure of elections to happen because they can continue functioning as barangay officials. This time that is not possible anymore under the Comelec Resolution 9800,” Katambak said.