Zarate: Why declare entire Mindanao as election hot spot?

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Zarate: Why declare entire Mindanao as election hot spot?
'It is unbelievable that every province and city in the whole island had enough basis to be declared a hot spot,' says Bayan Muna Representative Carlos Isagani Zarate

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Bayan Muna Representative Carlos Isagani Zarate on Thursday, March 21, questioned the decision of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to declare the whole of Mindanao as an election hot spot.

Zarate said the “unprecedented” declaration is “scary” as there was supposedly no basis for the declaration covering the entire Mindanao, which has 27 provinces and 33 cities. 

“It is unbelievable that every province and city in the whole island had enough basis to be declared a hot spot. It bodes ill for the election: are the administration and the Comelec cooking up something? Are electoral fraud and terror in the offing?” the lawmaker said.

Mindanao has been under martial law since May 23, 2017, when terrorists laid siege to Marawi City.

In declaring Mindanao and 3 other areas as as Category Red Election Hot Spots, the Comelec cited “suspected election-related incidents in the last two elections, together with serious armed threats posed by the New People’s Army, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, Abu Sayyaf Group, and rogue elements of the Moro National Liberation Front and/or Moro Islamic Liberation Front and other analogous groups.”

‘Campaign vs progressive candidates’

Zarate expressed concern that the declaration in Mindanao may be part of an orchestrated effort “to defeat progressive candidates and the opposition.”

He noted that “as it is now, especially in Mindanao, Bayan Muna and other members of the Makabayan Bloc are under intensified and systematic attacks from rabid partisans, members and officials of government security forces and propaganda machinery.”

“From electioneering, black propaganda, red-tagging, harassment and even extrajudicial killings – they are all on the rise. These attacks as well as the dastardly plot to hijack the elections should be opposed on all venues. This will undermine the conduct of the elections, thus, the people should not take this sitting down,” he said.

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte is among those who have campaigned against the election of leftist party-list groups in Congress.

AFP: ‘Empty claims’

Colonel Noel Detoyato, chief of the military’s public affairs office, dismissed as baseless the allegations that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) was being used as a propaganda machine by the Duterte government as he stressed that the military “will never engage in partisan politics.”

“The sweeping statement of this group is meant to tarnish the image of the AFP, which is ensuring the security and safeguarding the rights of the voters so that they can freely go out and vote this coming mid-term elections,” he said.

He said instead of empty claims, militant groups should “just concentrate on convincing voters that they are not part of the group that wants to bring down the government through violent means.”

Lieutenant Colonel Ezra Balagtey, spokesperson of the Eastern Mindanao Command based in Davao City, said the Comelec declaration was aligned with martial law prevailing on the island.

“The threat of terrorism is there,” Balagtey said.

No militarization of elections

Balagtey also said the declaration should not be seen as a militarization of elections. “The lead agency, which is Comelec, is civilian. Not military,” the military officer said.

Balagtey took exception to claims that the declaration of Mindanao as an election hot spot proved that martial law was a failure.

“I don’t think so. It is aligned with the martial law, it does not supersede martial law, which has been successful in neutralizing or diminishing many threat groups,” he said. 

Aside from Mindanao, the Comelec had also declared as election hot spots Jones, Isabela; Lope de Vega, Northern Samar; and the entire province of Abra. 

Areas classified as Category Red Election Hot Spots can be placed under Comelec control. When the Comelec takes control of an area, all national and local officials will fall under the direct control and supervision of the poll body.

The Category Red classification also means the Comelec “may direct the augmentation of personnel of the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines as the need arises,” said the Comelec. – Rappler.com

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