Having last posted about the burgeoning Akmad Dynasty on Basilan it would most definitely make sense to jump right into a breakdown of the 2010 Election Related Violence on that island, so without further ado...
Tuesday,Feburary 2nd,2010 saw 1 of 2 IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices,aka"Bombs") hit a vehicle holding 3 supporters of Sumisip mayoral candidate Boy Hataman.The device detonated just as their SUV entered Maluso's Barangay Guiong on Basilan.The 3 were en route to Barangay Buli Buli in that same town from their homes in Sumisip's Barangay Look Ba'it.
Boy Hataman's father is Partylist incumbent Congressman Mujiv Hataman,an NPA guerilla who joined the Rejectionist Front during the NPA's Rectification of the early 90s and went on to join Mindnowan based RPM-M (Revolutionary Proletariat Movement of Mindanao as the organisation was known in English).Like all Rejectionist Front organisations the RPM-M was no longer enamoured with the NPA's orthadox Maosim and were firmly in the grasp of Leninism,but alas that is a discussion meant for another entry.Sufficient to say that the RPM-M is now defunct since signing an FPA (Final Peace Agreement) in 2007 though it has never disarmed.
On Thursday,April 29th,2010 at 11AM in Sitio Sogemol,Barangay San Jose Maloong in the municipality of Lamitan City on Basilan a multicap carrying 3 people including an 8 year old boy was attacked by 5 gunmen.The attackers carefully ascertained the identities of 2 adult males before picking out Aga Sabatal,a campaign worker for incumbent Governor Jum Akbar.Mr.Sabatal was then shot to death while the other 2 were released unharmed.
On Election Day,Monday,May 10th,2010 armed supporters of Lakas-KAMPI-CMD (then the national ruling party) took control of ballot distribution in Sumisip,Basilan and refused to allow distribution in 20 of the town's barangays. When concerned campaign workers notified the authorities the Marines were deployed resulting in a firefight that wounded 2 Marines.
Elsewhere that same day in the town of al Barka,also in Basilan Province,BEIs (Board of Election Inspectors who are almost always public school teachers) refused to show up for their assigned duties due to overt threats of violence causing most of the town's barangays to suffer failed elections. Until now, mid-july, a Re-Balloting has not even been scheduled.
Likewise in Maluso.another town on Basilan,2 barangays were declared failed as well and were Re-Balloted on Thursday,June 7th along with the 7 failed towns in Lanao del Sur Province,an event that I will get to a bit later in this entry.
On Friday,May 14th,2010 at 2PM in Barangays Mangalut,Semut,Upper Sinangkapan,Caddayan and Paguengan in the town of Akbar, on Basilan,supporters of losing mayoral candidate Hadjarun Jamiri battled Marines both in Akbar and in Jamiri's residential compound in Lamitan City after a week that saw his Abu Sayyaf allied paramilitary burn down most of the public buildings in the 5 aforementioned Akbar barangays.This included all schools as well. Most of the burning an looting ended late Wednesday,May 12th having begun early Tuesday the 11th when the election's victor was announced.
At the Lamitan compound in Sitio Libi,Barangay Bulanting 2 of his gunmen were captured,guns blazing along with fatigues, weapons and ammo.
On Saturday, May 15th,2010 in Barangay Giyong in the municipality of Sumisip,AFP Scout Rangers (Army Special Forces) en route to try and capture Abu Sayyaf gunman and kinapping suspect Omar Ippong instead ended up with 14 suspects found to be carrying firearms in violation of the COMELEC (Election Authority) nationwide weapons ban for the length of the election season.When their detention expired without formal arrests taking place,48 hours later,all were released and the violations dropped.GEE,I wonder why such bans have absolutely no effect on Election Related Violence (EVR)?
On the Re-Ballot of Thursday, June 3rd, 2010 for the 2 barangays in the town of Maluso in Basilan Province with the 2 barangays clustered as a single polling site.The normal security for such a clustered site,no matter the number of barangays is 2 AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) soldiers and 2 PNP (Philippines National Police) officers. Maluso though had 2 platoons from MBLT-7 (Marine Battalion Landing Team #7) for a total of 60 Marines plus officers, along with 54 PNP officers of various rank.Those 2 barangays (Upper and Lower Mayahay) have roughly 1500 voters.
Still,even with 120 well armed and experienced security personnel all told the site still suffered from violence.It began when incumbent Mayor Sakib Salijin and supporters became aware that a competitor's supporters had infiltrated the site as Observers (NGO personnel,domestic and foreign,that record any improprieties in hopes of minimising such negative happenings).The 4"infiltrators"were from the Filipino NGO,"PPCRV"(Parish Peace Council for Responsible Voting).
Salijin and company began to physically beat the men before some of those 120 well armed security personnel on site decided to intervene.Dragging some very bloodied men from the precinct site it was in fact discovered that 1 of the Observers was carrying wads of 20 and 50 Peso notes with the specific candidate in question's name written in magic marker across the edge. He also had campaign materiels as well as a rather large combat knife.
On Monday,June 28th, 2010 Basilan Govenor Jum Akbar formally asked COMELEC to finally hold the neccessary Re-Balloting for the municipality of al Barka's 7 affected barangays.Without that Re-Balloting the Provincial Council's 8 seats cannot be filled.The Council's term was ending on June 30th and without some quick action the province of Basilan would slow to a standstill since the Council is akin to an American state legislature.COMELEC offered nothing substantiative and the old Council ended up extending its term indefinitely which of course is absolutely illegal under Philippine Law.
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