It’s a disturbing development. Starting from the 2010 elections, all the way to the 2018 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, we’d been seeing a definite downward trend in the number of election-related violent incidents—ERVIs—plaguing our democratic process. Even in barangay elections, which conventional wisdom tells us can often be more violent than national elections, we witnessed record-low levels of politically motivated violence, let alone killings. Since then, however, something seems to have changed.
In the municipality of Daraga in Albay, a former member of the House of Representatives was murdered late last year. The following day, two more dead bodies were discovered. Understandably, the killings set alarm bells ringing and, in a rare occurrence, the local election office recommended placing Daraga under Comelec control—weeks before even the start of the election period. Like at least three other politicians slain since 2018, this particular assassination is now allegedly been planned as a direct consequence of the victim having filed a certificate of candidacy for the 2019 polls.
And soon after the year turned, a bomb went off in front of a mall in Cotabato City. Reports have linked the explosion to the upcoming plebiscite for the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law, scheduled for next Monday, January 21, 2019. Political killings, terroristic bombings—it appears that some people are convinced once again that violence can sway electoral outcomes in their favor.
Now the Commission on Elections has placed both the municipality of Daraga and the city of Cotabato under Comelec control—a drastic move that the election management body has always been loathe to use. Worse, with the Philippine National Police reporting that there are “validated threats” in seven out of 19 hot spots, these two might not even be the last. But then again, you have to figure that it’s been quite awhile since things have been this bloody. And from all indications, things might get even bloodier.
The election period kicked off on January 13. On the same day, the gun ban went into effect, and with it the establishment of Comelec checkpoints. Also on the same day, a couple of motorcycle-riding men tried to speed past a checkpoint, ignoring the police officer who flagged them down. The police gave chase and, before the sun had even risen on the first day of the gun ban, the two men lay dead by the roadside.
Three days in, the tally of the killed stands at five. “Legitimate operations,” the police allege, asserting that the dead had decided to shoot it out with the police; “they were criminal elements, plotting to do evil acts.” The florid language aside, it still isn’t clear whether these deaths were of people planning to violate election laws. Nevertheless, the fact that these incidents happened incidental to the operation of Comelec checkpoints all but assure they will eventually be recorded as election- related violent incidents.
At the rate we’re going, I fear that—with still a little over three months to go before the midterm polls in May—we are already well on our way to stretching the definition of peaceful elections.