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| Sulu Task Force To Be Organized Vs. Poll Violence |
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| Written by Nung Aljani |
| Thursday, 04 February 2010 07:36 |
 JOLO, SULU – ELECTIONS in the Philippines have always been marked by widespread violence, especially in the areas of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Sulu Province as part of the ARMM is one of the election “hotspots” identified by security authorities and the Commission on Election (COMELEC). This is the reason why the newly-organized Ulangig Mindanao, Inc. (UMI) has called for a multi-stakeholder planning workshop during one weekend this January to address or prevent the possible occurrence of election-related violence in the province. Part of the resolution reached during the two-day workshop is the creation of multi-sectoral Task Force Kahanungan (peace) aimed to insure violence-free election. “We feel the need to engage all the concerned sectors – military, police, religious leaders, non-government organizations (NGOs) and civil society groups (CSOs) – to be part of solving this long-time dilemma of ours,” said UMI Secretary General Dr. Sahie Udjah. “On top of this workshop and the creation of TF Kahanungan, we wish to have peaceful, honest and credible election comes 2010,” he said during the opening program of the even held from January 16-17 at the Sulu State College Hostel, this town. In an interview, Udjah confided that Ulangig Mindanao is forecasting a “bloody” election this year in Sulu. “Thus an immediate response from us – the stakeholders – is very much needed,” he said. This assessment of the UMI is confirmed by the security forces. AFP’s Task Force Comet Commander Brigadier General Rustico Guererro said besides the powerful political parties contending for different positions in the province, the threats of Abu Sayyaf and some rough members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) are still high in the province. In his security briefing presented on the first day of the workshop, Guerrero presented some of the violent incidents that the military recorded for the past months. The 17 violent incidents recorded included bombings of bridges, telecommunication towers and other infrastructures including the latest explosion in Catholic Cathedral in Jolo topping those incidents. In relation to the fast-approaching election in May, Guerrero also admitted that his troops might not be sufficient to guard every precinct. “We still have to thresh out the clustering (of polling precincts) with the COMELEC and PNP,” he revealed. “We are also wary of some MNLF members being partisans in this election considering their chairman, Nur Misuari is also running for governor,” he said. Besides Misuari, the incumbent governor Abdulsakur Tan is seeking reelection while the province’s second district . Representative Munir Arbison is also running for the province’s highest electoral post. The threats of the private armies are also high in the province. AFP’s Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom) has identified more than 20 non-state forces existing in the province. On top of those, Sulu is still under the “state of emergency.” The provincial government declared the entire province under emergency rule following the kidnapping of the volunteers of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The victims - including a Swiss and Italian nationals and a Filipina – were released last year but the state of emergency is still in force. With this complex situation in the province, participants of the workshop-consultation raised concerns particularly the never-ending problems of the voters during election times. “How about if there are cases that we are not allowed to vote by some parties, where can we go? This has been repeatedly happening in the past,” said a worried Edmund Gumbahali of the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society (CBCS). Fr. Romeo Villanueva of the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Foundation is likewise worried of the proliferation of firearms in Sulu especially during election time. “COMELEC should clarify on who are among the militias are allowed to bring firearms. Because militia is very generic terms, what is their definition of militia?” he asked. Others said that a massive information drive on the process of election this 2010 should be conducted. Many are expressing their apprehensions over the know-how not only of the voters but as well as members of the election inspectors in the use of the automated machines. Partly answering those, Dr. Udjah said this is where Task Force Kahanungan should come in. He said TF-Kahanungan will be composed of representatives from the CSOs, NGOs, academe, COMELEC, AFP and PNP. Besides BGen. Guerrero, other speakers during the two-day consultation included Sr. Emma I. Delgado representing Fr. Angel Calvo of Peace Advocates Zamboanga (PAZ) on the topic Peace Advocacy: A Prerequisite to Violence Prevention; ARMM’s Bureau of Public Information Executive Secretary Ali G. Macabalang on Media: An Instrument for Peace; and a COMELEC representative on “Election: A Democratic Way for Peace and Development, Not A cause of Violence” among others. Sulu has more than 300,000 registered voters in its two districts. The two-day workshop was supported by Asia Foundation with the coordination of ARMM’s Bureau of Public Information and US Embassy in Manila. Ulangig Mindanao, which was organized late last year, is composed of some Tausug professionals, technocrats and religious leaders. (Nung Aljani) |