By JULES L. BENITEZ and AL-KAMAR A. JIDIN
Mindanews
JOLO, Sulu.—With only two incidents of armed harassment and zero incidents of armed fighting, election day was generally peaceful in the province of Sulu, officials said.
The two cases of armed harassment happened in the towns of Panglima Estino and Lugus on election day but no one was reported hurt.
In Barangay Tulay in Panglima Estino, members of a partisan armed group open fired at civilians using small arms and mortar shells, according to the Provincial Joint Security Control Center (JSCC). A company of Scout Rangers pursued the perpetrators.
In the Lugus case, Commission on Election supervisor Vidzfar Julie characterized the incident as “public partisan armed harassment” that was meant to disenfranchise voters.
The JSCC also arrested one town councilor and three civilians for carrying firearms on election day, in violation of the gun ban.
Major Enrico A. Ramones, representative of the AFP in the Joint Security Center, identified the councilor as Naser Sappayani, 39, of Tapul town. He was caught with a .45 caliber pistol as he was entering Kalang Elementary School.
Sappayani was turned over to Philippine National Police, which would file charges against him.
Ramones identified the three civilians as Romeo Sahiban, 40, Manan Dahi, 32, and Kalih Sahibal, 42, all residents of Larap village of Lugus town, who were arrested by elements of the Philippine Navy during a search of their boat.
The Navy confiscated two M-1 Garand rifles, one .45 caliber pistol and various ammunitions during the search. The suspects were likewise turned over to the Philippine National Police (PNP).
The Task Force Kahanungan, a civil society initiative to monitor and prevent election related violence in Sulu reported five incidents of fist fighting among hot-headed relatives and supporters of local candidates in five towns on election day, injuring 11 persons.
“It appears that gun fighting was replaced with fist fighting,” said Vandrazel M. Birowa, 29, manager of the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue and Task Force Kahanungan.
“This is a definitely an improvement from the armed violence of the past elections,” said Birowa whose group is implementing a program for the reduction of armed violence in six of the 19 municipalities of Sulu.
The province of Sulu has 315,105 voting population, spread in 410 barangays.