PNP: Four newly-elected barangay officials killed, 2 others wounded in post-BSKE attacks
Four newly-elected barangay officials were killed while two others were injured based on the post-election data of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said the attacks include shooting, stabbing and hacking incidents in Metro Manila, Northern Mindanao, Central Mindanao, Southern Mindanao and Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon).
“The status of these cases is that five of them are under investigation while one was already filed in court,” said Fajardo, adding that the victims include two newly-elected barangay captains and four newly-elected barangay councilors.
The PNP has so far recorded 19 fatalities, 66 injured and 31 unharmed before for this year's barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE).
Of the 297 election-related incidents recorded since the start of the election period on Aug. 28, a total of 77 of them were validated to be BSKE-related, according to the PNP data.
“We are continuously monitoring and taking actions in relation to post-election scenarios. We are expecting these incidents and this is the reason why our local commanders are given the discretion to determine the status of their alert level,” said Fajardo.
The continuous election-related violent incidents, based on the PNP data, made this year’s barangay elections bloody compared to the 2018 elections.
Based on the PNP data, only 44 incidents were reported during the barangay elections in 2018 and right now, a total of 77 election-related incidents were verified, which means an increase of around 92 percent.