6ID lauds peaceful conduct of polls; vows to secure counting

From the Philippine News Agency (May 15, 2019): 6ID lauds peaceful conduct of polls; vows to secure counting

The military here declared that Monday’s elections in its area of responsibility (AOR) have been generally peaceful with no major untoward election-related violence.

Maj. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, commander of the 6th Infantry Division (6ID), said the 6ID personnel performed well their mandated task to help ensure orderly, peaceful and violence-free elections.

"While the counting of votes is ongoing, we call on the general public to remain vigilant and immediately report any suspicious person or items in their vicinity to prevent the occurrence of violent incidents that may disrupt the counting process,” Sobejana said in a statement Tuesday.

Sobejana, also concurrent head of Joint Task Force Central (JTFC), is the commander of government forces stationed in Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat, 11 municipalities in North Cotabato and five coastal towns of Lanao del Sur.

He attributed the peaceful conduct of balloting to close coordination and synchronized efforts between the 6ID and security forces with the Commission on Elections prior to the political exercises.

The 6ID chief did not claim sole credit to the peaceful election as he also acknowledged the contribution of all stakeholders. “I admitted though that there were minor and isolated incidents that occurred in our AOR but that did not affect the entirety of the electoral process,” he said.

Four explosions rocked Cotabato City on the eve of Election Day and on the night after the voting ended.

Explosions were also reported in Barangay Dalican, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao. There were no reported injuries or casualties in the bombings that the police described as pure harassment and merely aimed at sowing fear among communities.

The Army also addressed effectively the attempt of unarmed Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) members to enter Cotabato City allegedly to observe the elections.

They were prevented by the soldiers and the matter was endorsed to the government and MILF coordinating committee on the cessation of hostilities.

Although some Voter Registration Verification Machines (VRVMs) and Vote Counting Machine (VCM) malfunctioned, Sobejana said all election paraphernalia were delivered safely and secured.

Three days prior to the election, Sobejana ordered the deployment of soldiers in all polling centers to provide security and assistance to the election committee and to the electorate.

“We will continue to monitor the electoral process and assure that the JTFC will remain on alert until the election period is over,” he said.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1069848