Comelec: 19 killed due to poll-related violence during BSKE 2023

Nineteen people were confirmed dead as a result of election-related violence during the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE), an official of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Tuesday.

“For the validated election-related violence which resulted into deaths, we have 29 of them… [There were] 29 incidents resulting into 19 deaths,” Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said in an ANC interview.

He said that most of these fatalities occurred in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), which he said has the “most tension and most red areas of concern.”

“Most of those killed are either supporters or relatives of the candidates,” he added.

Laudiangco also confirmed that a candidate was among the fatalities.

He, however, pointed out that the 19 fatalities for this year’s BSKE was “quite low” as compared to those recorded in the previous BSKE in 2018.

“Despite these figures being a cause for concern for the Comelec, of course, as much as possible, we don’t want these incidents to happen, this is still quite low compared to 2018. Coming from the previous elections we have 300+ incidents resulting into less than a hundred deaths. Right now, it is still quite low,” the poll body’s spokesman said.

Two people were killed and at least four others were wounded in a shooting incident in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte on Monday, shortly before voting for the BSKE 2023 was to start.

BAR regional police chief Police Brigadier General Allan Cruz Nobleza said there was another shooting incident in Maguindanao del Sur in which a still unidentified person was killed.

A candidate for barangay chairperson was also shot in Butig, Lanao del Sur; while six people were wounded including a barangay chairman candidate in Tuburan, Basilan.

According to Laudiangco, there were 113 election-related violence reported that not necessarily resulted in deaths, but are incidents which are still being validated by authorities.

Nineteen people were also confirmed to have sustained injuries due to incidents related to the BSKE on Monday.

Laudiangco stressed that the election situation in the country has to be improved and it must be instilled to people that elections don’t need to result in any form of violence.

Despite the reports of election-related violence, Comelec chairperson George Garcia had declared the BSKE 2023 as “a victory of sorts” even as he said no election had ever been perfect.

“When you say generally peaceful when you say incidents, we have to factor in the number of voters involved. We have 92 million registered voters. Of this number, how many are affected? We have 202,000 precincts,” Garcia said at a news conference on Monday.

“Even if there were disruptions in 2,000 precincts, we would still have 200,000 precincts where voting proceeded as expected. There was only a small percentage where disruption occurred. To us, it is a victory of sorts,” he added.

Garcia said there was “no perfect election,” citing the incidents of missing names on the voters' lists, violence, injuries, and deaths.

Seven barangays to hold polls

In a radio interview on Tuesday, Garcia said six barangays in Lanao del Sur and one in Samar are set to conduct their elections within the day after failing to do so on Monday.

“Mayroong tayong anim na barangays (Lanao del Sur) na ngayon gagawin ang halalan sapagkat hindi kasi dumating ng eksaktong hanggang alas dose kahapon ang mga kagamitan,” he said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview.

(We have six barangays in Lanao del Sur that will now hold the election today because the equipment did not arrive exactly before twelve o'clock yesterday.)

“Mayroon ding isang barangay na gagawin din ang halalan diyan sa Calbayog City sa Samar. ‘Yung kasing mga sundalo at pulis kasama ‘yung ating mga election official na may dala ng kagamitan papunta sa barangay ay pinaputukan ng mga insurgent. Hindi pa nakakarating sa barangay ay pinaputukan kaya hindi naituloy ang pagdadala ng gamit,” he added.

(There is also a barangay that has yet to hold elections in Calbayog City in Samar. The soldiers and the police, along with our election officials who were carrying election equipment to the barangay, were attacked by insurgents. They were fired upon before reaching the barangay, so they were unable to bring the equipment to the area.) — RSJ, GMA Integrated News