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Election violence in Philippines claims its 100th victim

An aide to a gubernatorial candidate was fatally shot and his daughter wounded, police said yesterday, as violence in the runup to next week's local and congressional elections claimed its 100th victim in four months of campaigning.

The latest bloodshed took place in the southern province of Compostela Valley, where the regional police office reported three men went to Ernie Tatoy's house supposedly to distribute leaflets and shot dead the victim. His 13-year-old daughter was wounded in the leg, the police report said.

Tatoy, 41, worked as a political coordinator for Chiongke Uy, who is running for governor in Compostela Valley, in the Davao region of Mindanao, Chief Superintendent Andres Caro said.

"We're looking into this case as an election-related incident. Right now, we're still tracking down the suspects," he said.

Of the 100 fatalities in the campaign for Monday's polls, 52 have been candidates and politicians, 36 were identified as their supporters, and 11 were other civilians, police said. About 135 people have been wounded.

The 2004 presidential election left at least 189 people dead and 279 wounded.

Police have been placed on alert nationwide and the 117,000-strong military said it planned to declare the highest security alert in the capital to stem the violence in the final days of campaigning.

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has repeatedly condemned the killings and ordered troops to augment the police force in critical areas by setting up 24-hour road checkpoints to enforce a ban on guns during the elections.

Nearly 87,000 candidates are vying for 17,000 national and local positions. All 265 House of Representatives seats and half of the 24 Senate seats also are up for grabs.

The proliferation of unlicensed weapons, private armies hired by politicians for protection and intimidation and allegations of cheating result in deaths during every election in the Philippines.
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