Comelec expects violence to erupt in upcoming barangay, SK elections

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) here in the region expects political rivalries in the upcoming barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections to be more intense and personal.

Lawyer Jose Nick Mendros, Comelec-8 regional director, said compared to the national and local elections, the rivalries in the barangay elections are more personal since opponents are usually neighbors and even relatives.

“In anticipation of a more intense situation, we have started meeting with the law enforcement agencies to improve our security preparations,” Mendros said.

“If we are to base the election-related incidents in the past two barangay elections, Eastern Visayas has recorded several of them. We cannot anticipate if we will have more or less election-related violence, but the most important things is to maintain the coordination forged in the previous elections and improve it even further,” Mendros added.

He cited the 2010 violence in Matuguinao, Samar where the teachers were harassed by some armed men while transporting ballot boxes to their respective polling precincts.

Mendros, meanwhile, urged the public to be watchful during the barangay and SK elections to avoid election-related violence.