By ANNE EDNALYN V. DELA CRUZ
Bulatlat.com
AFP in Macadaagmasiu (Photo by Anne Ednalyn V. Dela Cruz / bulatlat.com)
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) declared that the June 3 special elections in Lanao del Sur was generally peaceful. With this, the Arroyo government said the elections are almost over. However, Marawi City-based election watchdog Healing Democracy disagrees. It said the special elections in Lanao del Sur was marred by vote-buying and other poll violations, irregularities, violence, fear and intimidation.
Healing Democracy Project Manager Pastor Beltran Pacatang said the conduct of the recently-held special elections in Lanao del Sur did not differ much from the May 10 elections. The only difference was, this time, there were more military men guarding the precincts and police trainees were used as Board of Election Inspectors (BEI).
Police scorted Dumarpa supporters out of Municipal-hall (Photo by Anne Ednalyn V. Dela Cruz / bulatlat.com)
More than 2,000 security personnel, from both the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) were deployed to Lanao del Sur to maintain peace and order and secure more than 70, 000 registered voters of Lanao del Sur’s seven municipalities – Sultan Dumalondong, Lumba Bayabao, Masiu, Tubaran, Lumbaca Unayan, Marogong and Bayang.
But Healing Democracy said in a press statement, “The presence of military men and police officers did not deter the rampant vote-buying and election-related violence.”
Vote buying in Masiu Municipal Hall (Photos by Healing Democracy / bulatlat.com)
In Masiu, vote-buying was observed; and despite the implementation of a gun ban, armed men were spotted near the municipalities of Bayang and Tuburan.
Gunfire and clashes between political rivals still erupted in some municipalities. In Sultan Domalondong, two gunfire incidents were reported in two barangays: barangay Inindigan and barangay Bacayawan. Gunfire also erupted in Lumba Bayabao. However, no one was harmed in these incidents.
In Masiu, supporters of congressional rivals Salic Dumarpa and Mohammed Hussein Pangandaman clashed in a poll precinct.
Intimidation and Fear
Macadaag Masiu 
PNP as beis in masiu.(Photos by Anne Ednalyn V. Dela Cruz / bulatlat.com)
More than one hundred soldiers were deployed in each municipality, with additional reconnaissance of two military helicopters, and armed personnel carriers and a naval boat was docked at Lanao Lake. This presence of too many armed security personnel caused terror and intimidation to voters.
Also, the monitoring team criticized ‘the overly strict management of the military’ as it has caused disenfranchisement of voters.
Pastor Pacatang shared that in the municipality of Tubaran, the poll precincts closed at 2 o clock in the morning the next day and yet many voters still failed to cast their votes. Voters had to go through two checking areas – one at the gate, and one on the poll precinct; then in the poll precincts only five voters at a time were allowed to vote.
“The process was slowed down further, and this is the price we have to pay for a little semblance of order,” Pastor Pacatang added.
Healing Democracy Spokesperson Adelaida Ditucalan said, “One disadvantage of having the military and the police officer taking charge of the elections is that their presence might influence, or worse, manipulate the election outcome”.
Pastor Pacatang added, “The military presence may have influenced the outcome of the votes in each municipality and may tend to favor the incumbent officials of the municipality”.
Unresolved Issues
Aside from violence and poll violations, defective Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines, loss of electric supply and lack of Smartmatic technicians were some of the issues that remained unresolved during the special elections.
Some municipalities conducted elections with no power supply and were not able to use PCOS machines. In Masiu, five PCOS machines failed to function while in other areas, they decided not to use the PCOS machines at all.
In some municipalities, police officers had a hard time troubleshooting the PCOS machines because of the absence of Smartmatic technicians. According to a Comelec official interviewed by Healing Democracy, the contract with Smartmatic to assist BEIs does not cover the special elections.
Election Period Not Yet Over
Pastor Pacatang expressed his dismay over the government’s claim that the elections are almost over. With the president and vice-president’s scheduled proclamation this week, the government seemed to have forgotten that there are still votes left to canvass in seven municipalities of Lanao del Sur. And several barangays in eight municipalities of Lanao del Sur do not have a schedule for the special elections yet.
“It feels like there’s really no democracy. Democracy is giving the people equal rights and opportunities to be heard. In Lanao del Sur, there are more than 70, 000 votes left to be canvassed. If they won’t be considering it, then where’s democracy for the Lanao people? And with other barangays that have not voted yet, where’s the opportunity for them to practice their right to suffrage?” Pastor Pacatang said.
The eight municipalities where a failure of elections was declared but have not yet undergone special elections are Buadiposo-Buntong, Marantao, Calanogas, Ganassi, Pagawayan, Lumbatan, Kapai, and Tugaya, involving more or less 12, 000 voters.
Elections in the municipalities of Lumbatan, Kapai and Tugaya were affected by armed clashes last May 10.
Ending a Culture of Failure
In Lanao del Sur, the declaration of a failure of elections is no longer surprising for many, as it happens almost every elections. Violence and absence of election officers are the top two reasons for this.
Last 2007 elections, a failure of elections was declared in 13 municipalities, while this year 15 of the 39 municipalities in Lanao del Sur were affected, seven of which had a total failure of elections while the other eight municipalities had a failure of elections in selected barangays.
In the municipality of Sultan Domalondong, the incumbent mayor shared that a failure of elections is declared in their town almost every election since the early 90’s. The common reason is the disqualification of BEIs because of their blood relations with candidates.
This elections, same thing happened in the town, all, except one member, of the BEIs were disqualified. Sultan Domalondong is a small municipality and residents are most likely related to each other; and with 11 candidates running for the position of mayor, it is inevitable that candidates and BEIs are related to each other.
(Photos by Anne Ednalyn V. Dela Cruz / bulatlat.com)
For the other municipalities such as Tugaya, Lumbatan, and Kapai, armed clashes between supporters of rival candidates is the main cause. Election watchdogs such as Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) and Healing Democracy attribute this to the lenient implementation of the gun ban.
Pastor Pacatang said to prevent a failure of elections the government should implement the gun ban strictly and consistently, dismantle private armies, and for Comelec to prepare and anticipate conflicts and troubleshoot them even before the elections.
He added that the use of PCOS machines during elections or special elections is not effective for a place like Lanao del Sur where loss of electric supply normally occurs, and the clustering of 1000 voters in one precinct is not feasible. (Bulatlat.com)
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