The elections are over and the AFP says there were no attacks by armed groups due to their presence across the nation at troubled hot spots. It was peaceful in general and "very peaceful" in the Visayas they claim.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2023/10/31/bske-in-visayas-generally-peaceful-viscom |
All efforts paid off as the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections in the Visayas were generally peaceful, the commander of the Armed Forces-Visayas Command (Viscom) said.
“All the efforts, sacrifices, and time spent in planning and preparations have paid off. As far as the voting for the barangay and SK elections in the Visayas is concerned, it was very peaceful,” said Lt. Gen. Benedict Arevalo.
Arevalo attributed the peaceful conduct of the elections to the timely and synchronized deployment of security forces, especially in placed that were declared election watchlist areas.
Viscom started its deployment on October 18 following the arrival of four platoons or over 120 Armed Forces personnel from Eastern Visayas in Negros Oriental.
The Philippine National Police, through the Area Police Command (APC)-Visayas, and the Philippine Coast Guard also deployed their own personnel.
Arevalo also cited the collaborative efforts of the different BSKE partner-agencies, particularly the Commission on Elections, the Department of Education, the police, and the Coast Guard.
Apart from the deployment of security forces, the focused military operations in the outskirt communities in the Visayas have been intensified since March of this year.
This resulted to several government-initiated armed encounters against the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army that caused heavy losses on the part of the rebels, preventing them from perpetrating atrocity that may hamper or disrupt the electoral process, Arevalo said.
“We will remain steadfast to our commitment of ensuring the safety and security of our people. We will never waver in our efforts and will remain motivated in performing our mandate for our country and our people,” Arevalo said.
While it is true the NPA was unable to disrupt the elections there was violence around the nation. In Samar, which is the Esatern Visayas, armed men attacked a polling place cuasing voting to be delayed.
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| https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/01/23/voting-delayed-in-samar-village-after-shooting-incidents |
Two days after the Oct. 30 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE), Barangay Naguma in Calbayog City, Samar on Wednesday held its village and youth council polls after incidents of harassment.
The Commission on Elections reported Tuesday that an insurgent group fired upon the contingent delivering election paraphernalia to Naguma and Dinawacan village, which halted the delivery and suspended voting on Monday.
Dinawacan was able to conduct elections and proclaim winners on October 31, but Naguma was not.
“At first light of October 31, team and escorts proceeded again (to Naguma), but midway, around 12:25 p.m., they were engaged in a firefight by a private armed group. Our EO and the EBs were caught in the middle of the firefight,” Comelec spokesperson Atty. John Rex Laudiangco said.
“They were kept safe and protected by their reinforced escorts from the Philippine Army, who were able to neutralize 5 members of the PAGs and recover a weapon,” he added.
Due to the second incident, Naguma only held elections on Wednesday. It was the lone remaining village where voting was still ongoing on Nov. 1.
That is a rather significant event but of course the AFP does not want to publicly mention it opting to tell us everything was "generally peaceful." It is quite disingenuous.
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| https://opinion.inquirer.net/167819/irony-of-generally-peaceful-polls |
The 49 election-related violence this year resulted in 15 people dead and 43 injured, with five deaths recorded in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), the PNP said. But the Commission on Elections (Comelec) reported a higher number of fatalities—19—mostly in the BARMM and some areas in Luzon and the Visayas.
Nineteen deaths certainly do not speak of a peaceful and orderly election, especially since the recent polls were for barangays—the smallest government unit in our political system—and not for highly-coveted national posts.
How ironic, since barangay elections—prescribed in our laws as a nonpartisan exercise (in which politicians are asked not to meddle)—have become even more hotly-contested and violent than the local and national polls. What is it about these village posts—where elected village chiefs and councilors receive a measly monthly honorarium of P6,029 to P7,884 on average—that would induce candidates to go for each other’s throats? Is it the prospect of handling millions of pesos from the barangays’ share of the national tax allocation from their local government unit? Or the anticipated perks and power they stand to gain as ward leaders of local officials and politicians come election time?
The anecdotal evidence however shows how the ugly side of patronage politics has filtered down to the barangay level and turned elections in many parts of the country into a farce, not to mention a micro version of the “3Gs” of traditional politics: guns, goons, and gold.
Rather than being lulled into a false sense of contentment by declaring every election as “generally peaceful,” the Comelec, the PNP, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government should take a closer look at the violence, vote-buying, and other electoral fraud that continue to mar this exercise. This, despite the advances in technology and automated elections meant to hasten vote counting and prevent fraud occasioned by unnecessary delays in manual voting.
A good place to start is the apparent ineffectiveness of the election gun ban. By the PNP’s own record, at least 1,540 guns were confiscated and more than 2,000 individuals were arrested for violating the gun ban. The bigger problem then, and not just during elections, is the continuing inability of law enforcers to control loose or illegal firearms, usually at the hands of warlords and long-entrenched traditional politicians, and criminal syndicates.
The fact that there is violence at all during the elections and that a gun and liquor ban needs to be in place speaks volumes about how failed the Philippine political system really is. To call the election "generally peaceful" is to belie the real situation.
The winners of the election are now being recruited into the fight against the insurgency.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2023/11/1/afp-chief-hopes-bske-winners-will-be-partners-in-peace-security |
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is hoping that winners of the just concluded Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) will be its partners in maintaining peace and security in the communities.
AFP Chief, General Romeo Brawner Jr. said the cooperation of the public with relevant government agencies led to the successful and generally peaceful village and youth polls last Oct. 30.
"No threat group was able to cause any disruption in the voting process and the several election-related incidents weren't able to prevent our citizens from exercising their right to vote for their preferred baranggay officials and youth leaders," Brawner said on Wednesday, Nov. 1.
The military chief said that BSKE winners have the responsibility to serve their constituents, and part of their duty is to ensure the people's safety.
He said the AFP will remain "vigilant and on alert" to prevent any threat groups from disrupting the peace in the communities.
"We will also sustain our gains in the internal security operations in order to achieve complete victory against the communist and local terrorist groups as we face the challenges in the conduct of territorial defense operations," Brawner said.
Meanwhile, the AFP chief also cited the cooperation between the Commission on Elections (Comelec), Philippine National Police (PNP), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and Department of Education (DepEd) which allowed them to "attain our goal of a secured, free, and orderly conduct of election."
"The Armed Forces of the Philippines remains resolute in its mission of protecting the Filipino people and securing the State from all kinds of threats, man-made or natural," Brawner concluded.
The NTF-ELCAC also wants newly elected local officials to help fight the insurgency by promoting peace and development.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1212919 |
With the successful conclusion of this year's Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE), the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on Thursday urged all newly-elected officials to take a more active role in promoting unity, peace and development.
"Being the basic unit of the local government, the NTF-ELCAC acknowledges the significant role of barangay (village) officials in delivering basic services that are impactful to the lives of each of their constituents," it said in a Facebook post.
Also, the task force extended its congratulations to the newly-elected "Sangguniang Kabataan" officials and noted their important role in leading the Filipino youth.
"We also recognize the role of our SK officials to serve as exemplars for every Filipino youth, leading them towards a path of peace and nation-building illuminated by love for one’s country," the NTF-ELCAC said.
With the task force promoting unity, lasting peace and inclusive development through the Barangay Development Program (BDP), the NTF-ELCAC is also encouraging BSKE officials, particularly in areas affected by the New People's Army insurgents, to actively participate in identifying the root causes of socio-economic issues and finding solutions to these problems affecting the communities there.
"We have high hopes to the future contributions of our newly-elected leaders as part of our Regional Task Force ELCAC. We are all depending on you to perform the mandate of your respective offices and fulfill your sworn duty to our people from whom all government authority emanates," it added.
Two NPA leaders have been neutralized recently. One was killed.
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| https://www.philstar.com/nation/2023/10/28/2307156/npa-leader-killed-misamis-clash |
A New People’s Army leader was killed while an NPA amazon was arrested following an encounter with soldiers in Jimenez, Misamis Occidental on Thursday.
The fatality was identified as Michael Cabayag, alias Teddy, of the NPA’s Guerrilla Front Sendong.
Armida Nabicis, alias Yumi, was arrested.
The military said the clash occurred when soldiers belonging to the 101st Infantry Brigade were deployed to check the reported presence of armed men in Barangay Carmen.
Lt. Col. Jose Andre Monje, 101st Infantry Battalion commander, said an M16 rifle with an M203 grenade launcher, two other rifles, magazines with bullets and five bandoliers were recovered at the scene.
“Our commitment goes beyond the battlefield. We will ensure that alias Teddy is properly turned over to his family, respecting the principles of compassion and humanity in this challenging situation,” Monje said.
He said Nabicis would be turned over to authorities.
Newly installed First Infantry Division commander Maj. Gen. Gabriel Viray II commended government troopers for displaying ”remarkable professionalism and courage” during their operations.
Viray had vowed a relentless campaign to end communist armed conflict in coordination with local government units and other stakeholders.
The other was arrested.
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| https://www.philstar.com/nation/2023/11/02/2308418/wanted-ranking-npa-leader-arrested-surigao-del-sur |
The police on Wednesday nabbed a ranking leader of the New People’s Army in Surigao del Sur long wanted for high-profile criminal cases pending in different courts.
The 57-year-old Cristitoto Tejero, a senior commander in the NPA's self-styled and now moribund Guerilla Front 19-Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee, is now locked in a police detention facility in Surigao del Sur.
Brig. Gen. Kirby John Kraft, director of the Police Regional Office-13, told reporters on Thursday that Tejero was cornered by policemen in his hideout in Barangay Buhisan in San Agustin, Surigao del Sur with the help of vigilant informants, among them barangay leaders and municipal officials.
Tejero yielded peacefully when he was shown copies of warrants for his arrest. One of the warrants of arrest came from the Regional Trial Court Branch 27 in Tandag City, where he was charged with murder for allegedly having killed an unarmed, off-duty soldier in Barangay Bolhoon in San Miguel, Surigao del Sur on March 14 last year.
Local executives in Surigao del Sur said Thursday that Tejero was also implicated in armed robbery, extortion and multiple murder in hinterland barangays in the province that were once NPA bastions, now “peace zones” totally free from communist terrorists, driven out in recent months via joint peacebuilding programs of the PRO-13, the local communities and indigenous tribespeople and the military's Eastern Mindanao Command.
Kraft said the RTC Branch 27 in Tandag City has not recommended any bail for Tejero's temporary release from government custody.
He shall remain incarcerated until the court has fully litigated the criminal cases against him, according to Kraft.
Despite the hard work the AFP does at protecting the nation it seems there is discontent brewing.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1854724/afp-chief-brawner-to-soldiers-shun-destabilization-plots |
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. on Friday cautioned soldiers against participating in any destabilization plot against the government.
In his message during the change of command ceremony at the Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom), Brawner said the AFP leadership is firm in its commitment to the chain of command and the duly constituted authorities of the country.
"Once we find out that any of the active personnel are involved (in destabilization), we will knock swiftly but judiciously," he vowed.
Brawner also appealed to destabilization plotters: "Please do not involve the active personnel of the AFP."
He revealed that there have been efforts to recruit from among the ranks of the AFP. "Many are encouraging our individual members," he said.
"We are hearing a lot today that can be said to be destabilization efforts, that our president should be replaced, that there should be a coup d'etat," Brawner told the soldiers.
"Sadly some of them are former officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. I spoke to some of them; I said, you have the right to do that because we are in a democracy but please do not involve the active personnel of the AFP," Brawner said.
Speaking to journalists after the ceremony, Brawner clarified that the destabilization effort is not widespread.
"We don't hear of mass movements but there were (movements) on September 21; there are groups that say let's rally. We know what their purpose is. We are warning our soldiers not to join any of this movement (as) we want our country to move forward to progress,” Brawner said.
Brawner presided over the handover of Wesmincom from Major General Steve Crespillo to Lieutenant General William Gonzales, then AFP Inspector General. Crespillo, in turn, will be taking over Gonzales' previous post.
Brawner admits these pots are not widespread but one wonders if there even is any truth to these rumors. If he knows "some of them are former officers" of the AFP then surely he knows their names. Unsurprisingly it turns out this destabilization plot is bunk.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1854880/afp-spox-on-reported-destab-plot-vs-marcos-it-has-been-settled |
The reported destabilization plot from a number of retired military officers against the government of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. “has been settled”, according to Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar.
“I think that has been settled,” AFP spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar told reporters on Saturday.
“There is no credible threat to our security,” he also said.
Has any alleged destabilization plot since 2016 been credible? No.
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