Manila Bulletin
Police bias, spillover of violence: Why Comelec placed Abra town, entire Misamis Occidental under its control
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has placed Misamis Occidental province and the town of Pilar in Abra under its control due to security concerns and election-related violence.
Comelec Chairman Saidamen Pangarungan stated that the declaration aims to ensure clean, honest, peaceful, and orderly elections, allowing voters to cast their ballots without fear.
Pangarungan cited a confidential report from the regional election director and a petition from the local government of Pilar disclosing the apparent bias of the local police detachment.
Reported threats and intimidation to some supporters of candidates in Pilar also contributed to the decision.
In response to these issues, the Comelec chairman recommended the relief of the entire police detachment in Pilar, Abra.
A staff of Pilar Vice Mayor Jaja Josefina Somero Disono was killed when members of the local police fired upon her van near a Comelec checkpoint in March.
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Thirty police personnel of the Pilar Municipal Police Station in Abra, including their chief of police, have been relieved and reassigned following a shooting incident on March 29.
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The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has upgraded Pilar town in Abra to the red category due to election violence, following a shooting incident on March 29.
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The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is considering declaring a failure of elections at a specific voting center in Malabang town, Lanao del Sur, following a gunfight that resulted in three deaths and two wounded.
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