Malabang town eyed under Comelec control

The Commission on Elections on Sunday disclosed that it is considering to place under its control the municipality of Malabang in Lanao del Sur ahead of the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections following the indiscriminate firing incident that took place during the filing of Certificate of Candidacy on 31 August.

Comelec chairperson George Garcia, in a radio interview, said that he is personally recommending placing Malabang under Comelec control after two individuals fired shots at the Municipal Hall of Malabang amid the CoC filing.

Garcia said that the perpetrators, allegedly working for Malabang Mayor Alinader Balindong, have surrendered to authorities. They are currently in detention and formal charges were filed against them.

The poll chairman said a show cause has also been issued against Balindong.

Due to the incident, Garcia said he is convincing other Comelec commissioners to place Malabang under Comelec control as violence may happen anytime in the area due to political rivalry.

"I will recommend placing Malabang under Comelec control and I will convince every commissioner to do so. They saw that the election on 30 October could be chaotic," Garcia said. "Violence can break out anytime because of families. In order to prevent it, the Comelec must show that we are in control of the area itself."

Last week, the Philippine National Police said it has beefed up its deployment to Malabang due to the indiscriminate firing incident.

"We are now beefing up our forces there to make sure that there will be no further violations or similar incidents that will happen in that area," PNP chief Police General Benjamin Acorda Jr. said.