Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 9) — Filipinos have witnessed a generally peaceful voting as the country only recorded 15 election-related incidents of violence, authorities said Monday.
Ramon Zagala, spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said the 15 election-related violent incidents remain “a good low number.”
“It’s a series of different incidents—shooting, explosion. We were able to react immediately to these situations,” Zagala said in the same briefing.
“Overall the security situation is good in terms of our people being able to vote, there is a continuity of the electoral process,” he added.
This, despite the four deaths reported from election-related violent incidents—three in Buluan, Maguindanao; and one in a shooting incident inside a voting center in Malabang, Lanao Del Sur.
Commission on Elections Chairman Saidamen Pangarungan echoed similar sentiments, as he compared this year’s polls to 2019’s, which recorded 60 violent incidents.
“I would consider the election relatively peaceful compared to the elections in 2019,” he said.
Pangarungan said the government did not see any threats from bigger groups like the New People’s Army or the Communist Party of the Philippines.
“Ang threat dito ay private armed groups ng mga politicians (The threat came from private armed groups of politicians), which are smaller,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) assessed there is no failure of elections in the country.
“Practically, we have no failure of elections anywhere in the country today,” DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya told CNN Philippines.
Malaya added the DILG received some reports of minor election-related violence incidents, but voting in those areas proceeded after the police stepped in to ensure the safety and security of the polling places.
In a briefing, Philippine National Police General Allan Nobleza said the election day has been “generally peaceful.”
