IM 4 Peace Iligan City Cluster Updates: Barangay and Sangguniang Elections then and now

Who would have thought that Barangay and SK Elections today could become as festive as the local and national elections posts? Its only the name barangay differentiates from the contest for higher political post. Candidates as well as supporters do all their best comes election day-flyers, poster, tarps, streamers, giveaways, and media ads.

Candidates for Barangay Officials were reported to have engaged vote-buying in any areas of the city and also those running for sangguniang kabataan. When the old fellows home visit their constituents, give folded flyers with money, the aspiring youth leaders gathers the youth voters two days before the election on a beach resort or amusement areas plus additional P500 per voter came election day.

IM4Peace-Iligan cluster documented vote-buying and distribution of campaign paraphernalia by candidates supporters within the vicinity despite the comelec’s warning, dead people still on the voter’s list, running candidates makes themselves visible-an indirect campaign in a form of assisting the voter’s in finding their precincts.

In some areas, conflict is inevitable. Firefights among political rivals stir up yet it is being stopped by the armed men(security) in the area while in some areas resulted to confrontations. Violence has become commonplace and regarded as normal occurrence. Money of course also, determines the outcome.

Voting was closed around 3:30 pm while others until 5pm due to slowness of voting process and or late delivery of ballot boxes.

These was not the case decades ago of Barangay Elections when the only incentives of becoming a barangay officials was the respect for the constituents and performing community service.



(initial report of IM4Peace Monitoring Team-Iligan City chapter)

IM4PEACE Election Monitoring

Iligan City - IM4PEACE - Iligan City chapter documented several cases of election irregularities. Even though the voting started almost on time, more problems were encountered by the voters such as; names missing in the voter's list, dead persons' names still on the voter's list and so on.

As usual, IM4PEACE volunteers reported about rampant open vote buying (in cash or in kind), campaigning within the vicinity of the polling precincts,tensions between supporters, and secret balloting that is not so secret because watchers are everywhere inside the polling precincts.

The volunteers also reported about tensions between political rivals that almost resulted to fire fighting but it was prevented due to interventions of military. However, the situation is still under close observation from the military and the civil society.

IM4PEACE is an electoral watchdog organized by different organizations and individuals in Mindanao whose task is to monitor the electoral processes in the country before, during and after elections. After elections means monitoring the performance of the elected leaders during their terms in office.

Freedom Flotilla for Gaza

By Thomas Sommer*

Sunday 23 May: “The dog barks, but the caravan passes on.”

Will we be able to sail in one or two days? Is everything ready and loaded? All papers signed? We have thousands of tons of materials to load in the cargo –cement, water-treatment plants, prefabricated houses, generators, electric wheelchairs, medical supplies and school kits – and hundreds of passengers arriving in Greece. In Turkey, hundreds more will join and thousands more tons of cargo will be loaded. We are ready to go. One boat has already sailed from Ireland; she is going as fast as possible to eat the miles between her and us. All of us need to be at the meeting point on the same day and we are running out of time. Gathering so many boats, people and cargo from so many countries is a crazy job. For sure, the friends who are organizing it will need very long holidays after that! But we will make it. The spirit, here, in Greece is so high, and the hearts are so big, that there is always someone coming with a solution to overcome every single problem, one after the other.

That's why the Israelis are furious. Can you hear them? Going to every single government shouting, begging, rumbling: “Don't let them go!” But it is too late, we are going in few hours, in one day, maybe two. That's sure. We are going. So they are shouting even louder: “We will stop the boats! We will stop them with military force! And we will not be responsible for what happens to these people! The governments who allow the boats leave their countries will be the ones to take the responsibility.” This is the familiar refrain of the Israeli state. We destroy, but it is not our responsibility. We kill, but it is not our responsibility. We steal, but it is not our responsibility. It’s never their responsibility, it’s always the other side -- the Palestinians, the Arabs, or even the United Nations. But even the US government is tired of that old tune, so you can imagine the rest of the world! So, let's see what will happen. Let's see what they will do to hundreds of people, peace lovers, journalists, even members of parliament, who are going unarmed to bring love, solidarity and aid to a population that Israel is starving to death. Frankly, they would be smarter to let us go. But if they want to send their Navy, they can do it. If they want to send their commandos, all painted black, with Uzi and grenades, they can do it. They can do whatever they want. But if they decide to stop us in the international waters or in the waters of Gaza, if they decide to arrest us and seize our boats, they will have to bear the responsibility for being vulgar pirates. In front of Al Jazeera and Euronews...

But to be fair to Israel, we have to acknowledge that our governments are also responsible. Not for what Israel might do to us, but something much more terrible. Many of our governments and the “international community” bear a huge and awful responsibility for turning a blind eye to what is happening in Gaza and in the rest of Palestine. They let Gaza die slowly, they let the entire people of Palestine live under constant terror and oppression, but they open their arms to the State of Israel. Which power, which government tried to prevent the terrible punitive war against Gaza one year ago? Not one. As the images of the bloodshed were broadcast on every screen, which government said “Stop. Enough is enough”? Not one. So a hurricane of bombs, missiles and bullets devastated Gaza, leaving more than 1400 death, among them 300 children. More than 5000 houses, 700 factories, dozen of schools and water plants were simply erased from the map. Gaza was torn to the ground. Which government sent emergency aid and reconstruction teams? Not one. Nothing happened and the Palestinians from Gaza remain locked in the world’s biggest jail, among the ruins. Their Israeli jailers are keeping the doors closed and the EU and the USA are making sure that it is airtight. Do you know how many tons of cement were authorized to enter in Gaza since the war? Around four hundred, maybe five - enough to build nine houses. A European parliamentary delegation that tried to enter Gaza was stopped by Israel. They were supposed to check what happened to the billions of euros invested by the European Union in Gaza in the years just before the war. Well, to see something they would have had first to clean the 600,000 tons of rubble left by the Israeli bombardments. Enough work to occupy a lifetime. Just days ago, Israel received a warm welcome from all 31 OECD members and the European Union is seriously thinking of strengthening its economic and political agreements with Israel. Are our governments completely blind, or out of their mind, or both, to act like that?

If we were living in a normal world, we would not have to take boats full of cement and medical supplies to Gaza. First, because the war against Gaza would not have happened and even if it did, there would be an emergency response from the international community, imposing on Israel an end to the siege and sending thousands of tons of aids. In a normal world our governments and the “international community” would not let Israel steal Palestinian land and kill Palestinian children. Our governments would act with responsibility to guarantee peace and justice, also for the Palestinians.

But we are not living in such a world. So we are on the boats and we are going to Gaza. Because we, and the thousands and thousands of normal people supporting us, cannot accept a minute more what is happening there. We cannot accept a minute more the occupation, the stealing, the lies and the destruction of Palestine. So, we are going now. Be sure that nothing will prevent us trying. How could we do otherwise when the people of Gaza, in spite of the siege and the destruction, are standing and fighting for their freedom and for the unity of Palestine. We salute them. Whatever happens this time, nothing will prevent us from sailing again in few months or in one year, with more people, with more boats, with more solidarity. Israel may bark, but our caravan will pass.

* Thomas Sommer is a research associate with Focus on the Global South and is on board the Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The flotilla consists of eight boats with 5000 tons of construction and aid materials and hundreds of passengers, including members of parliament and personalities. The government of Israel has announced that they will try to stop the flotilla by any means necessary.

Music Jamming and Film Showing for Gaza

The struggle of the Palestinian people is alien to most of the Filipino people but little do we know that their struggle is not different from what Mindanawans have been fighting for: Freedom!

In solidarity with the Palestinian people, the Ranaw Tri-People Movement for Genuine Peace and Development (RTMGPD) shall head a Music Jamming and Film Showing of the Gaza Situation tomorrow, May 27, 2010 at 5:00 in the afternoon in front of the Iligan City Post Office. This is in solidarity to the Spring Fleet of Ships to Gaza who by now is already on their way to Gaza to deliver tons of supplies such as food, medical aid, cements, construction materials, and other aids to help the Gaza people. The fleet is joined by 500 individuals from all over the globe amongst them European parliamentarians and personalities.

Songs of peace will be sung by youth from the Yapak, the cultural wing of Alyansa ng Kabataang Mindanao para sa Kapayapaan (AKMK). After the singing, a 30-minute film about the war in Gaza will be shown to inform the viewers of the real situation of the Palestinian people.

RTMGPD which is composed of non-government organizations, people's organizations, civil societies and individuals shall continue to work to end the war and injustices until we achieve the genuine peace and freedom.