Comelec probing whether Datu Piang shooting incident election-related

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Tuesday that it is probing the shooting incident of an official seeking re-election in Datu Piang, Maguindanao del Sur.

Datu Piang Vice Mayor Omar Samama survived a brazen daylight attack on Monday, 24 February, when a still unidentified gunman shot him in his abdomen.

In a radio interview, Comelec Chairperson George Garcia said an investigation on the incident is currently ongoing, but it likely had something to do with the elections.

"Any violence sa kasalukuyan patungkol sa isang kumakandidato o sa isang incumbent na kumakandidato ay palaging sinu-suspect natin as election-related (Any volence linked to a candidate or an incumbent official seeking reelection is always suspected as election-related violence)," Garcia explained.

Sumama was speaking during a medical mission at an evacuation site in the town's Barangay Magaslong at around 10:00 AM. He was rushed to Cotabato Regional and Medical Center where he was admitted for surgery.

He is running under the United Bangsamoro Justice Party, the political arm of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Samama was the latest victim of gun attacks in Maguindanao del Sur and Maguindanao del Norte since January. Authorities have already monitored a total of 85 shooting incidents in the Maguindanao provinces from 1 January to mid-February.

Garcia also said that the Comelec is expecting the number of areas considered as election hotspots to increase as the midterm election nears.

"Ang mga areas na katulad niyan na may karahasan, pwedeng ma-consider na namin na mapag-aralan kung malalagay sa Comelec control (Areas like that which have violence may be studied further if we could put them under Comelec control)," he added.

In January, the poll body places 38 areas of concern under the "red category" or places with serious threats of election violence.

Comelec Resolution No. 11067 states that the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines classify all areas in the country under four categories: green, yellow, orange, and red.

Areas under the green category are those with no security concerns or are relatively peaceful and orderly for the conduct of the elections.

Yellow areas, meanwhile, have reported suspected poll-related incidents in the past two elections, provided there was no participation of domestic terror groups.

The areas should also be previously declared under Comelec control and report the possible presence of armed groups and intense political rivalries.

On the other hand, orange areas should have the combination of two or more factors under the yellow category and should have serious armed threats posed by communist terror groups or other threat groups.