LAMITAN CITY, Basilan, Philippines — Two people including a relative of a candidate in the Bangsamoro parliamentary election were wounded when unidentified motorcycle-riding men opened fire at the house of the politician in this city on Friday night.
The attack on the house of Rima Hassan occurred three days ahead of the conduct of the election tomorrow.
Hassan is seeking a parliamentary seat for the first district of Lamitan City.
Hassan’s son-in-law, Halid Mujanil, and Efren Custodio were rushed to a hospital for treatment of injuries.
Reports said Mujanil was standing in front of Hassan’s house in Barangay Matibay when a motorcycle with two men on board pulled over at past 7 p.m.
One of the men reportedly drew a gun, shot Mujanil and opened fire at the house before fleeing.
A stray bullet hit Custodio.
Probers have yet to determine if the attack was connected to Hassan’s candidacy.
Mayor Roderick Furigay condemned the attack and ordered the police to exhaust all possible means to identify and arrest the gunmen.
As this developed, Catholic churches in Basilan have been directed to pray, light candles and ring church bells simultaneously on the eve of the parliamentary election.
In a directive, Bishop Leo Dalmao urged devotees to pray for a credible, peaceful, honest and orderly election as well as for the safety of voters, election workers, volunteers, candidates and communities.
Meanwhile, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Antonio Nafarrete visited yesterday key military units in the Bangsamoro region to remind soldiers of their duties to ensure a peaceful and orderly election.
Army chief Lt. Gen. Donald Gumiran and AFP deputy chief of staff for operations Maj. Gen. Elmer Suderio accompanied Nafarrete, who addressed troopers of the 101st and 103rd Infantry Brigades in Lanao del Sur.
The officials received updates on election security preparations and force deployment as well as on coordination being made with the Philippine National Police and the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Nafarrete and his party visited the headquarters of the 6th Infantry Division in Maguindanao del Norte to assess the military unit’s readiness and operational preparations for the election.
Meanwhile, Comelec Chairman George Garcia led yesterday the final testing and sealing of automated counting machines (ACMs) to be used in the election.
He said the final testing and sealing (of ACMs) would ensure that teachers will not experience difficulty in using the machines. — Michael Punongbayan, Rhodina Villanueva, John Unson