40 DEAD IN POLLRELATED INCIDENTS

ELECTION- RELATED violent incidents in the past two months have left 40 people dead, according to the Philippine National Police.

The police on Monday noted a rise on poll-related incidents months before the mid-term elections next year. Majority of the victims were government officials and candidates.

The national police started recording election-related incidents on October 1, 2012, the first day of the filing of certificates of candidacy. Based on their guidelines, investigators have at least two weeks to determine the cause of an incident before it can be officially declared election related.

The first pre- election related incident recorded by the police occurred on October 3 when six armed men attacked and wounded Macario Diaz Boongaling, president of the Association of Barangay Captains of Candelaria, Quezon province.

Boongaling, who was then driving his car, was attacked by six

armed men in Barangay Pahinga Sur, Candelaria, Quezon.

A week after or on October 10, Barangay Sua chairman Reneboy Lacerna was shot and killed in Barobo town in Surigao del Norte province. Lacerna was attacked by unidentified men while he was about to board a boat.

Chief Supt. Jorge Corpuz, deputy director for Investigative and Detective Management, said that of the 27 incidents that have been monitored, four were validated to be poll related.

“There are still 21 other incidents that are still being validated,” Corpus told reporters.

He added that of the 27 cases, 25 were shooting incidents. A single strafing incident was also reported.

The fatalities included a barangay chairman, three kagawads or barangay councilors, two town mayors, four candidates (non-incumbent) and five civilians.

Corpuz said that 15 of the violent incidents occurred in 15 provinces that were earlier declared as high-risk areas for the coming elections.

The Department of Interior and the Local Government had declared 15 provinces as election “hotspots”— Abra, Pangasinan, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Cagayan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Batangas, Cavite, Masbate, Samar, Misamis Occidental, Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur and Basilan.

The latest local official to be killed was Ruperto Martinez, the mayor of Infanta town in Pangasinan province.

Martinez was slain by motorcycleriding men in front of his house hours after town resident staged a rally protesting an infrastructure project in the area.