EDITORIAL - No end to election violence

In the campaign season, with an election gun ban in place, a town councilor was shot dead Sunday afternoon in Masbate. The murder of Ladislao Macuba, whose son is a local candidate in the May elections, occurred a day after the killing of barangay captain Isagani Lopangco, who was running for vice mayor also in Masbate.

Nine towns in Masbate have been classified by the Commission on Elections as areas of concern in the May polls. Five other towns are under another security watch category because of the presence of New People’s Army guerrillas. Security is supposed to be tighter in such areas, particularly in Masbate, a traditional election hot spot, where murder is seen as the best way to eliminate political rivals.

The two murders over the weekend show that the province can use better security measures, starting with the effective enforcement of the election gun ban. Masbate is not the only place where enforcement of the ban can use an improvement. Violence is sweeping across Sabah as armed followers of the Sulu sultanate stake a claim on the land once known as North Borneo. It’s doubtful if members of the sultan’s army ever bothered to secure gun licenses and permits to carry their weapons outside their homes and out of the country.

Authorities report that since the election gun ban went into effect last January, at least 27 people have been arrested for illegal gun possession and 34 firearms have been confiscated. The continuing violence even before the start of the campaign for local positions shows that more must be done in enforcing the gun ban. Deadly violence need not be an unavoidable fixture in all Philippine elections.