Philippines calls in troops to stop poll violence
Philippine President Gloria Arroyo ordered the military Monday to help police maintain order amid escalating violence in the run-up to May 14 mid-term elections.
She made the announcement hours after the mayor of the northern city of San Carlos, Julian Resuello, died in a Manila hospital early Monday after he was shot at a beauty festival.
One of his aides died instantly and seven others were wounded in the attack late Saturday.
In a separate incident, the mayor of Morong in Bataan, north of the capital Manila, survived an attack on his home when gunmen sprayed it with automatic fire.
Arroyo ordered the military to help police dismantle "private armies" as political violence increases.
"I am calling on the armed forces to reinforce the police, under Comelec (Commission on Elections) authority to stop election violence and move forcefully against those using threats and intimidation for partisan politics," Arroyo said in a statement.
"All identified private armies must be pre-empted and dismantled."
The Philippines goes to the polls in the next two weeks to elect 12 senators, the entire 230-seat House of Representatives and thousands of local officials from members of town councils to mayors and provincial governors.
But elections here are often marred by violence, with rival politicians, especially in the provinces, maintaining armed groups -- effectively private armes -- to intimidate or harass opponents.
On Thursday, a town council candidate and a policeman were killed in an ambush by suspected political rivals in the town of Jaen in northern Nueva Ecija province.
Seventeen others were wounded, including three policemen, forcing Comelec to place the province under its security watch to prevent further bloodshed.
In the 2004 presidential elections, 148 deaths were recorded and 111 deaths were linked to the 2001 mid-term polls.
So far in this election 25 people have been killed.
National police chief Oscar Calderon said at the weekend that only 52 of 90 known private armies controlled by politicians nationwide have been dismantled and some 2,000 individuals illegally carrying guns were arrested.
She made the announcement hours after the mayor of the northern city of San Carlos, Julian Resuello, died in a Manila hospital early Monday after he was shot at a beauty festival.
One of his aides died instantly and seven others were wounded in the attack late Saturday.
In a separate incident, the mayor of Morong in Bataan, north of the capital Manila, survived an attack on his home when gunmen sprayed it with automatic fire.
Arroyo ordered the military to help police dismantle "private armies" as political violence increases.
"I am calling on the armed forces to reinforce the police, under Comelec (Commission on Elections) authority to stop election violence and move forcefully against those using threats and intimidation for partisan politics," Arroyo said in a statement.
"All identified private armies must be pre-empted and dismantled."
The Philippines goes to the polls in the next two weeks to elect 12 senators, the entire 230-seat House of Representatives and thousands of local officials from members of town councils to mayors and provincial governors.
But elections here are often marred by violence, with rival politicians, especially in the provinces, maintaining armed groups -- effectively private armes -- to intimidate or harass opponents.
On Thursday, a town council candidate and a policeman were killed in an ambush by suspected political rivals in the town of Jaen in northern Nueva Ecija province.
Seventeen others were wounded, including three policemen, forcing Comelec to place the province under its security watch to prevent further bloodshed.
In the 2004 presidential elections, 148 deaths were recorded and 111 deaths were linked to the 2001 mid-term polls.
So far in this election 25 people have been killed.
National police chief Oscar Calderon said at the weekend that only 52 of 90 known private armies controlled by politicians nationwide have been dismantled and some 2,000 individuals illegally carrying guns were arrested.
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