THE opposition United Nationalist Alliance on Monday condemned the spate of political killings that have happened since the start of the campaign last Jan. 10, the latest of which was the slay of an UNA youth leader Emman Peña in Laguna on Sunday.
UNA described the ambush of Calauan, Laguna Mayor Buenafrido Berris and the killing of youth leader Emman Peña as a “cowardly and dastardly act meant to intimidate the political opposition.”
“These unfortunate incidences of political violence have claimed the lives of people who despise violence. The atmosphere of carnage has become extremely callous and cruel. Calauan just lost a great future leader with the death of Emman Peña,” UNA spokesperson Mon Ilagan said.
Peña, a youth leader of UNA who is running for councilor in Calauan, was killed while Berris was wounded in an ambush late Sunday afternoon.
Peña is the fourth UNA member killed since the start of the campaign, following the assassination of Sto. Tomas, Batangas Councilor Damasino Mabilangan Jr. last Feb. 12, former Pangutaran, Sulu mayor Ahmad Nanoh last March 17 and former Banisilan, North Cotabato mayor Floro Allado on March 18.
“Dirty politics has again taken a life in the quiet town of Calauan. It was a traitorous step taken by people who cannot accept defeat so they have to put across their message through bullets instead of ballots,” Ilagan said.
Ilagan said UNA presidential candidate Vice President Jejomar Binay was saddened by the series of harassment and the spate of killings perpetrated against the ranks of UNA members and supporters.
But Mabilangan was not even in the Philippine National Police’s list of people slain in election-related violence.
While the list only contained Nanoh, Allado and three village leaders, PNP spokesperson Chief Supt. Wilben Mayor said the police are still verifying if the 34 other monitored incidents are election-related.
But Mayor said PNP chief Director General Ricardo Marquez has already identified six political hotspots—Pangasinan, Masbate, Negros Oriental, Western Samar, Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur and has ordered local police to extensively investigate reported incidents.
But the Commission on Elections, through its spokesperson James Jimenez, could only urge local candidates to live up to the peace covenants they signed to maintain peaceful and orderly elections.
We do have local candidates signing peace covenant with each other. But what is the point of signing a peace covenant if you are not going to live up to it, Jimenez said. We hope that those signing peace covenants will take it seriously.
The campaign period for the local candidates started on March 25 and will run up to May 7.
Jimenez said there are 235 seats for congressmen, 81 each for governor and vice governor, 772 for provincial board members, 11,634 each for mayor and vice mayor, 13,532 for city and town councilors, one governor and vice governor for Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and 24 ARMM assemblymen.
“One would hope that the people who signed the peace covenant would cascade that commitment down to their supporters,” he said.
“Please make sure that your supporters will also seriously support your goals of having a peaceful and clean campaign,” Jimenez stressed.