“Everything seems peaceful so far.” This was the statement of Commission on Elections spokesman James Jimenez today as the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan special elections kicked off.
“We have been checking in regularly with our field officials,” Jimenez said, “and so far, we have not received any reports of any major disturbances or untoward incidences.”
The special elections were called as a result of the failure of several hundred precincts to function during the regular Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan polls, held last October 29, 2007.
The failures of election in the ARMM were due mainly to the refusal of Boards of Election Tellers to convene in the face of security threats. To address this particular concern, “more than a thousand Philippine National Police personnel have been deployed to provide security for the elections this time round,” Jimenez said. “Reports reaching us from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao also indicate that the elections there will be concluded peacefully,” he added.
