Media on Elections and Violence 2016
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| Mindanao Provinces outside ARMM
Background The report for provinces outside ARMM covers the Lanao sub-region composed of Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte and Iligan City, and the ‘expanded’ Zamboanga Peninsula or Western Mindanao region consisting of Misamis Occidental, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga City and Basilan. One week before Election Day, The Philippine Star reported that the entire Zamboanga Peninsula (officially, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, and Zamboanga City) was declared by the Comelec as area of special concern owing to the tension among various political camps arising from the contest for elective seats. Nine towns in the three provinces were especially cited as “critical areas.” Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur were earlier identified as election hotspots owing to the usual pattern of political tensions there during the elections which broke into violent incidents especially in the run-up to the balloting exercise. Security agencies have recommended that seven Lanao del Norte towns be placed under Comelec control. Although among the areas in the election watch-list for attendant security issues, Basilan was out of the roll of hotspots for the May 9, 2016 exercise. Tensions radically went down due to the alliance of the Hataman and Akbar clans which used to be the main political rivals in previous polls. Misamis Occidental was expectedly quiet because there was a ‘no-contest’ agreement among politicians in its second district including for the major provincial seats, and the politicians in the first district, albeit fighting their own local battles, were aligned with the Liberal Party. Still, it was in the watch-list due to the presence of the criminal syndicate Kuratong Baleleng. Outside of ARMM, seven towns in Lanao del Norte were recommended to be placed under Comelec control. The entire Zambaoanga Peninsula (Zambaonga del Norte and Sur and Zamboanga City) were on the watch list because of the tension among various political camps. Candidates and their supporters recognize the high stakes involved in the competition. Once in office, winners enhance their position in the political economy with the power to set policy, manipulate the use of state funds and exert control over resources. Sustained private gain requires personal security. The political culture relies on the instruments of violence to protect the power of the elected. Political leaders who gain legitimacy through elections have learned that they still need to arm private security groups or co-opt law enforcement units to make sure they stay in power. Evaluation of Media Reports In tracking these incidents, primary reference are local news organizations, with the help of monitors. In areas where national news organizations have clear presence, these sources/references are given premium especially that these are the same ones cited by radio and then picked up by weekly newspapers. In Zamboanga del Norte, while there are a number of newspapers mostly based in Dipolog City, the local monitor encouraged taking other sources outside the province as these news organizations have identified leanings with opposing political camps, which, in turn, affects the slants and even the exposition of some facts. Although monitoring was done April 2016, the researcher and monitors backtracked to the run-up to filing of certificates of candidacy (CoCs) in October 2015, and also moved forward towards Election Day to establish a likely pattern of the incidents. Based on the news tracking, only Zamboanga Sibugay and Lanao del Norte provinces were effectively covered by local/regional news outfits, hence, providing a good context to the incidents that make the news. |
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