12 days to E-Day: 75 dead as campaign nears homestretch

As the frenzied campaign period is nearing climax, expect election-related deaths to soar. On Wednesday, the Philippine National Police reported that already 75 people, including 43 politicians and candidates, were killed in election-related violence since the start of the campaign period. However, only 23 of the incidents were validated as election-related and the rest are still subject for validation. According to the PNP report, as of May 1 the fatalities included two lawmakers, a vice-governor, two mayors, three councilors, 19 village chairmen and 16 village officials. The other 32 casualties were supporters of the political candidates or civilians who happened to be in the area when the attacks took place. The report did not identify the remaining fatalities. The most recent casualty of election-related violence was San Carlos City Mayor Julian Resuello. He died Monday morning, two days after he was shot while attending a beauty pageant in his city. The death of former Sta. Fe town Mayor Rogelio Ilustrisimo Sr, a mayoral candidate in Bantayan Island, Cebu, who was shot dead in front of a local Commission on Elections office Wednesday morning was not yet included in the report. The report also said 20 politicians and candidates and 62 supporters and civilians were wounded in election-related attacks. The number of casualties is still low compared to the 189 reported killed and 279 wounded in the 2004 campaign period. The PNP is also guarding 417 cities and municipalities tagged as areas of immediate concern while 216 cities and municipalities were listed areas of concern. Some 60 cities and municipalities and two provinces were placed under Comelec control. Among the areas earlier tagged as election hotspots were the towns of Natividad, Tayug, Binmaley, Bugallon, San Nicolas, San Manuel and the city of San Carlos, all in Pangasinan. In Cebu City , Ilustrisimo had just attended a Comelec hearing and was walking about three or four meters from the Comelec office when two men, on board a motorcycle, approached him and fired. Initial reports also had it that local Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) operatives managed to arrest at least one of the gunmen who killed Ilustrisimo Sr. (This report was later denied by police.) Ilustrisimo, a former mayor of Sta. Fe, was shot about 10:30 a.m. just as he emerged from a hearing on a disqualification case lodged against him before the Commission on Elections. For the past several weeks, Ilustrisimo was at the center of political tension in otherwise tranquil Bantayan Island, which is considered an election area of concern. On April 7, Ilustrisimo, presently a town councilor, faced off with rival Domingo Zaspa over loud music at a beach resort. Ilustrisimo said Zaspa's resort had no permit to hold a concert there, and that he had no permit to fence off the shoreline, which forced those wanting to cross to swim. On the other hand, Zaspa claimed two of his men were wounded when Ilustrisimo and his companions tore down a fence he built in his resort. Police Insp. Felix Lapera said it was only the presence of police personnel that kept the two parties away from each other. On the other hand, additional police troops were sent to Bantayan Island after a political supporter was shot at, as he was on his way to a campaign sortie. Central Visayas regional police director Chief Supt. Silverio Alarcio Jr. has ordered them to regularly conduct checkpoints in the island as a deterrent to armed persons allegedly roaming the island on motorcycles. The Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Monday that it has recorded a total of 97 election-related incidents since the start of the campaign period for the May elections on January 14. PNP records showed that of the total incidents, 31 candidates and political supporters had been killed due to intense political rivalries in their respective areas. Murder raps filed vs 4 Resuello slay suspects Police in Region 1 filed on Tuesday double murder and multiple frustrated murder charges against four suspects in the April 28 shooting incident in San Carlos City in Pangasinan province that led to the death of Mayor Julian Resuello and his civilian aide. National Police chief Director General Oscar Calderon identified those charged as Angelito Soriano, Cesar de Guzman (alias Kabesa) and two John Does. The charges were filed before the city prosecutor's office following the identification of the two suspects by two witnesses under the custody of the police, Calderon said. Despite the filing of cases, however, PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Samuel Pagdilao could not say yet that the case is already solved since investigators have yet to ascertain whether the suspects acted on their own or were hired to shoot Resuello. Also, Pagdilao said police have yet to ascertain if Soriano is related to the Soriano political clan in the city. Soriano remains confined at the Elguera Hospital where he is being treated for a gunshot wound on his leg. He was found to be positive of gunpowder nitrates on the right hand when subjected to paraffin test. On the other hand, De Guzman, who is said to be a former errand boy of the slain mayor, remains at large. Pagdilao said the reward for De Guzman's arrest was raised to P500,000. Earlier, former city mayor Douglas Soriano was linked to the killing of Resuello. The former mayor is seeking the vice mayoral post of the city against Resuello. Soriano has since denied involvement in the shooting incident that also left five civilians wounded. On Monday, the Commission on Elections placed San Carlos City under its control. - GMANews.TV