Religious, military to help defuse poll tensions

RELIGIOUS leaders, police and military officials forged an agreement on Thursday reaffirming their commitment to work for a peaceful turnover of government power on June 30.

In a two-page joint declaration, the signatories also exhorted all politicians, election candidates and their supporters to surrender their private armies and loose firearms to the military and the police to ensure peaceful balloting.

The statement was signed by Archbishop Fernando Capalla of Davao, convener of the Bishops-Ulama Conference, Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Delfin Bangit, Philippine National Police Director General Jesus Verzosa, among others.

The military and police officials met with bishops and other religious leaders for a two-day forum on the elections. It ended with the signing of the joint statement.

During the forum, the authorities presented progress reports on their efforts to dismantle private armies and to confiscate illegal firearms, which were intensified after the massacre of of 57 people in Maguindanao province last November 23.

The police earlier reported that it has documented the existence of at least 68 private armies in the country. The police claimed to have dismantled at least 23 of them.

“We heard persistent and strong rumors from many sources that there is a possibility of ideological and militant groups taking advantage of these problems and difficulties to sow discontent among the people and precipitate or abet the failure of elections, thereby bringing the country into socio-political chaos and unrest,” said the statement.

It continued: “We, the spiritual leaders and peacekeepers… believe that by joint and coordinated efforts of the citizenry and of ours we can at least minimize the rumored dangers to the lives of our people and to the Republic.”

To defuse the mounting tension leading to the May 10 elections, the religious leaders and authorities also appealed to the nation to renew its commitment to actively participate in the holding of credible elections.

They also called on the people to vote “in conscience and in freedom on moral values and legitimate nationalistic ideals discerned from the candidates’ personal profiles, behavior and programs.”

Report from the Philippine Daily Inquirer