Albay town placed under Comelec control for BSKE due to political unrest

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 23) — The entire municipality of Libon, Albay has been placed under the control of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) elections following a series of politically motivated killings.

In a statement Monday, the poll body said the decision was based on the recommendation of the Regional Joint Security Control Center-Libon, Provincial Joint Security Control Center-Albay, and Municipal Joint Security Control Center Center-Libon, Albay.

It added that the ruling emanated from the assassinations of spouses Alfredo and barangay kagawad Relly Mata on Aug. 22 and the incumbent barangay chairman Alex Repato on Aug. 28.

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Authorities said the politically motivated deaths created an «atmosphere of fear and anxiety among the electorates of the municipality of Libon.»

«The town also has a documented history of politically motivated incidents both prior and during elections and intense political rivalry among candidates and their supporters,» Comelec added.

It added that Libon town is marked by the presence of communist terrorist groups and a notorious gang which serves as a private armed group during elections.

The regional security control of Libon, meanwhile, is converted into a special task force to implement the municipal-wide policy.

Comelec said among the functions of the special task force is to exercise full supervision over all national and local law enforcement agencies assigned or deployed in the area.

It added that the task force may also impose curfew hours if necessary and conduct regular spot inspection of checkpoints.

The Comelec control in Libon will remain effective until the end of the election period, or until Nov. 29, unless it is lifted sooner.

Data earlier obtained by CNN Philippines from the Commission on Human Rights showed that there were 34 cases of attacks on elected officials, and 38 deaths from June 2022 to June 2023.

The human rights agency said these figures do not reflect the total number of alleged killings of local officials under investigation and