LAST Monday’s Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections may be generally peaceful as what the Comelec, the PNP and AFP and even private watchdogs have been saying but I join our security forces in praying that it will stay that way.

Some security officials have told me that just like in previous elections, they are praying and hoping that the number of election-related incidents and victims won’t shoot up anymore amid a number of factors that contributed to post-election violence.

1st, there is the thing called ‘estafador’ or people who accepted money from candidates but did not vote for them. 2nd, there is the presence of people who promised to deliver votes for certain candidates but did not do so. 3rd, there will always be the presence of so-called sore losers.

Presence of people who received money from certain candidates in exchange for votes, and those who were given the job to distribute cash to buy votes but did not do their jobs properly or pocketed big chunks of the money are usually targeted once their patrons are defeated.

Also most likely targets of post-election related violence are people who promised to deliver votes for certain candidates in exchange for some concessions in the future but failed to secure victories for the bets. Worst part of it is when these people are monitored by the losing candidates to have shifted their support to their rivals.

Lastly, there will always be the ‘sore losers’ of people who cannot accept the fact that they have been defeated after spending much of their resources to court votes thru the years. In many cases, these ‘sore losers’ are desperate to get back at people whom they believed have had a hand in their poll defeats.

As have been proven in previous BSKE and local and national elections, poll-related violence shoots up once the victors have been sworn in, or in some cases, before the winners’ official proclamation. This is the reason why police and the military continue their increased presence even after the election is over specifically in so-called ‘hot spots.’

‘Sore losers’ including those belonging to big clans in the country specifically in parts of Mindanao should be identified and placed thru constant monitoring. A ‘sore loser’ who could not accept his defeat would always say he was cheated and resort to violent ways just to get back at others, even his relatives. These ‘vendetta attacks’ usually trigger so-called ‘Ridos’ in the South.

Lastly, presence of the New People’s Army which is known for supporting candidates in every election is also being watched by the PNP and the AFP. As proven in previous polls, rebels are known to have ‘liquidated’ candidates known to be against the communist movement and are even helping the government put an end to the movement in many ways.

Overall, I would like to join the rest of the country in commending the Comelec and the PNP, AFP and Coast Guard leaderships for being up to their toes on Monday leading to a generally peaceful BSKE except for some shooting incidents in Bangsamoro Administration Region in Muslim Mindanao where six were reported dead in shooting incidents that marred the conduct of the polls.

Apart from the shooting incidents in BARMM which left six, all supporters or relatives of candidates dead, there were also reported incident of fistfights, harassment of poll officers and tearing of ballots in some areas although police and the military immediately addressed them.

As Comelec chairman George Garcia had admitted, there’s really ‘no perfect election’ as he cited concerns including complaints on missing names on the voters’ list , vote-buying/selling other problems that were relayed to them. However, the official said that the numbers were low compared to those recorded in the 2018 BSKE where authorities recorded over 300 election-related incidents.

PNP chief General Benjie Acorda’s assertion of a generally peaceful election was in fact seconded by various groups including the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting and the Legal Network for Truthful Elections which all cited a high turnout of voters including senior citizens on Monday.

However, the job won’t end there for our security troops and the Comelec as the transport of election paraphernalia back to Comelec warehouses needs to be fully protected. Gen. Acorda told me on Monday that they have all prepared for worst-case scenarios that they may encounter during the process especially when it comes to transporting ballot boxes and other paraphernalia from far-flung parts of the country which can only be reached thru sea and aircrafts as well as those located in rugged terrains.

Let’s all pray for the safety and security of our troops and those from the Comelec as they continue to do their job until the end of the BSKE period on November 28. Congratulations are also in order for them.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Alfred P. Dalizon