KIKO demands more action from the COMELEC/PNP to
prevent election related violence, assails the situation wherein
a person is killed once every 3 days, urges Commissioners
to do a Haydee Yorac by doing field work in critical areas

By both the PNP and COMELEC counts there have been close to 100 election related violent incidents and deaths and it appears that it will only get worse as we reach election day. The role of the PNP and the COMELEC is to ensure peaceful, honest elections. We do not see how they are achieving this with the death toll nearing 30. By no stretch of the imagination can we consider 30 deaths as acceptable. This means 1 person is killed every 3 days. A civilized society should consider this is barbaric and utterly tragic yet the COMELEC and the PNP seem to continue as if it is business as usual.

This cannot be considered as a peaceful campaign no matter how one looks at it. It would be truly an indictment of our election processes and our democracy if despite close to 30 deaths the COMELEC and the PNP would characterize the elections as generally peaceful. Do we need to have 500 murders before we say that the election process has been marred by violence? 1 or 2 deaths would still be tragic but may be considered isolated, but a death every 3 days, no matter how one looks at it, is not a laughing matter.

The violence must come to an end and it starts with a more proactive, relentless and determined COMELEC. With the death toll reaching nearly 30, it is proof that the COMELEC and the PNP have not done enough. By failing to do so we expect more election related killings in the coming days.

The COMELEC must up the ante; form a special task force whose sole objective is to put in place preventive measures that would diffuse tension in election hotspots. The signing of peace covenants between opposing sides must be done nationwide, the beefing up of security measures and the arrest and prosecution of those guilty of these offenses must shift to high gear. We also suggest that the commissioners do fieldwork, get their feet wet, roll up their sleeves and make their presence felt in critical areas.

It is during times like this that one misses the late Haydee Yorac who as commissioner was always out there in the field. The violence will end only if the COMELEC exercises greater political will to accomplish its constitutional duty.