Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 1) — The 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) turned out to be the “bloodiest election in the past decade” in the autonomous region in Mindanao despite claims by officials it was generally peaceful, according to a group that monitors conflict and climate risks.
The Council for Climate and Conflict Action Asia (CCAA) said it has monitored 200 reports of critical events across provinces within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). They include incidents of shooting, stabbing, hacking, riots and fistfights, as well as harassment and intimidation of voters and candidates’ supporters.
Since the start of the campaign on Oct .19 up to Oct. 30, 17 deaths were recorded, including 11 during Election Day on Monday, the CCAA added. It also recorded 30 injured and wounded individuals across the region.
\”Contrast these figures with the 2018 barangay elections, where there were 35 deaths recorded across the country,\” the report said. \”The 17 fatalities as of this date are for the Bangsamoro alone, and the figures are likely to further increase in post-election skirmishes.\”
In a two-part plebiscite held on Jan. 21 and Feb. 6, 2019, BARMM replaced the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) with the ratification of its basic law, the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).
Former President Rodrigo Duterte formally signed Republic Act No. 11054 or the BOL in July 2018.
Comelec Chairman George Garcia earlier declared the polls as \”generally peaceful nationwide even if there are a few incidents of violence, especially in the Bangsamoro.\”
The poll body’s spokesperson Rex Laudiangco confirmed on Tuesday that authorities have recorded 19 deaths and 19 injuries nationwide during the BSKE period.
“Though the figures are quite high, they are really low compared to the figures coming in from the 2013 and 2018 barangay elections, where we had more than 300 election-related incidents and deaths,” he added.
The CCAA said the 200 reports were sent to the Critical Events Monitoring System (CEMS) on Oct. 30 by the Early Response Networks stationed across the provinces of Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao provinces, island provinces of Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, and the 63 Special Geographic Areas in the Bangsamoro region.
The Critical Events Monitoring System (CEMS) is an SMS- and high frequency radio-based reporting system managed by CCAA that captures conflict incidents and tensions in communities in real-time. Reports are gathered from the Early Response Network, an independent group that shares with key sectors real-time information from various localities in the Bangsamoro.
The recent violent election incidents in Bangsamoro showed the lack of security and response from the authorities, the CCAA added.
READ: LIST: Poll watchdogs report Bangsamoro BSKE incidents
READ: Two killed in Maguindanao del Norte shooting before poll opening
Fears and lack of trust in security measures
The report said over 2,000 teachers assigned to help in the conduct of the election did not show up due to lack of trust in law enforcers’ abilities to protect them.
\”We did not see discipline, order, and peace reign in areas that were already declared as hotspots long ago,\” the CCAA added. \”This is strange because security forces had ample information and time to prepare for violence as these affected places were the same places predicted to be notoriously violent and bloody.\”
It said the 14,000 police and military personnel supposedly deployed in the region during the BSKE, \”were certainly inadequate to ensure peace and order.\”
READ: Comelec, multi-agency deploy thousands of security personnel nationwide for BSKE
READ: AFP deploys over 100,000 troops for BSKE
The Comelec spokesman, in a separate interview on Wednesday, insisted that security forces were not complacent in the face of the violent incidents that occurred in Mindanao.
“In all due fairness po sa ating PNP, AFP, Coast Guard, kasama na rin po ang Comelec, at iba pang personnel, hindi po namin matatanggap ‘yan complacency na ‘yan. Halos lahat po ng incidents na naganap ay immediately naka-respond po ang ating PNP at AFP, at lagi pong may nahuhuli na perpetrators,” Laudiangco said.
[Translation: In all due fairness to PNP, AFP, Coast Guard, Comelec, and other personnel, we cannot accept the “complacency” comment. In almost all the incidents, there was immediately response from PNP and AFP and prepetrators were arrested.]
He said Monday’s election has the highest number of arrests for illegal campaigning, vote-buying, premature campaigning, and election related incidents, with the immediate response preventing the spread of violence.
Meanwhile, in a separate statement, the Commission on Electiions said the canvassing of votes for BSKE has been completed.
