CONSORTIUM ON ELECTORAL REFORMS (CER)

Reducing election violence in hotspots

A report on the Payapang Bayan, Payapang Halalan campaign Prepared by the Institute for Political and Electoral Reform (IPER) July 26, 2013

I.

Campaign Background

The 2013 National and Local Elections are midterm elections occurring in the middle of the Aquino administration. These elections are particularly important for the latterthese are a referendum of its performance and prepare the ground for more effective governance in the last half of its term. These are also considered as crucial to preparations for the 2016 presidential elections.

At the local level, the 2013 elections represent an opportunity to either maintain the power (for incumbents) or to seize it (for the opposition). The elections are also a second test for the Automated Election System (AES). Lastly, the elections for the regional posts in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) are being synchronized with the national and local elections.

The importance of holding peaceful elections lies in securing the conduct of fair and free elections. It is in places where warlords prevail or where private armed groups are utilized to terrorize or attack both candidates and votes where electoral cheating and vote-buying are rampant. In extreme cases, direct violence determined the electoral outcome when opponent-candidates are assassinated or when voters are either prevented from or coerced into voting.

It is in this light that a campaign dubbed as Payapang Bayan, Payapang Halalan (PAYAPA) was carried out by the Consortium on Electoral Reforms (CER) to promote peaceful 2013 elections, particularly in those provinces with historical record of election violence. PAYAPA takes off from the successful project of CER in the 2010 National and Local Elections, Vote for Peace Campaign (VotePeace).

The approaches adopted by VotePeace and PAYAPA relied on close cooperation between national, regional and local government authorities, on the one hand, and civil society stakeholders, on the other hand. In 2010, the approach contributed to a 30 percent decrease in the Election-Related Violence Incidents (ERVIs) recorded during the election

period. In its most successful implementation in Masbate, this resulted to zero ERVI on Election Day.

II. The Campaign

In the 2013 elections, PAYAPA targeted the hotspot provinces of Masbate, Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, and Basilan. It also conducted an advocacy campaign for election peace. The CER, through PAYAPA, hopes for another substantial 30% decrease in ERVIs in these provinces.

The campaign had a two-pronged set of activities. On the one hand, it undertook to rally multi-sectoral civil society support for peaceful elections. On the other hand, it worked with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) and the Task Force Secure and Fair Elections (TF SAFE) of the Department of Interior and local Government (DILG) and the Philippine National Police (PNP). The combined weight of these initiatives produced the public opinion, political pressure, and favorable security situations in these provinces. Opportunities and desire for election violence were thus effective curbed.

The campaign activities consisted with public forums, multi-sectoral conferences and peace covenants, and media initiatives. The local peace covenants, in particular, were the key to the whole effort against election violence. These were conducted jointly by the COMELEC, DILG/PNP, and CER together with local stakeholders.

The results were very encouraging. There was a general reduction of election violence, with the targeted hotspots experiencing major reductions. This was acknowledged by the President himself in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) when he cited the significant decline of ERVIs nationwide. He announced a 63% decrease in Private Armed Groups (PAGs) and 41% decrease in ERVIs. He singled out Lanao del Sur, which for the first time in Philippine election history, no failure of elections was reported.

Election violence had been one of the major obstacles in achieving free and fair elections. And in most cases, ERVIs are associated with another phenomenon--warlordism. Both feed on each other to create situations of electoral fraud and white terror that undermine the right of suffrage among citizen-voters during the electoral exercise and eventually threatens democracy itself.

III.

The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)

The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) is the only region in the country with its own government. The regional government of the autonomous region was instituted to address the cultural and religious distinctiveness of the region

However, the region continues to confront several governance and electoral issues, including election fraud and violence. For so many decades now, election violence had been one of the major problems that hinder from achieving peaceful and honest elections. It was exemplified by the infamous and widely condemned Maguindanao massacre in 2009. ARMM election violence, along with violence arising out of the Moro conflict, forms part of the overall political violence in the area.

This historical fact led to its selection as a priority target for the PAYAPA campaign. However, this time, it turned out that only Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, and Basilan remained within category of a hotspot area, both in the list of the DILG/PNP and CER. Sulu and Tawi-tawi only came up in the election violence radar quite late in the election period, and even then, did not become priority targets for the campaign.

A.

ARMM CSO Stakeholders Conference

Civil society stakeholder organizations in ARMM convened early this year (January 29, 2013) to tackle the issue election violence in the region. CSOs who participated in the conference signed and made A Call to Support a Secure and Fair Elections (SAFE) in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). The participants of the conference formed the Task Force for Peaceful and Clean Elections in ARMM (PEACE-ARMM, a task force envisioned to be based on government-civil society partnership. It resolved to work with the interim ARMM regional government, Comelec, and other relevant government agencies such as DOJ, DILG, AFP, PNP, and CHR, political parties, electoral watchdogs, media advocate groups, private sector, and other stakeholder groups The conference called on their fellow Mindanawons, the National Agencies, and the PNoy administration to support secure and free elections in the ARMM. It urged the political and electoral stakeholders to support a favorable political environment for the conduct of electoral campaign and elections in ARMM.

B. Peace Compacts / Multisectoral Conferences 1. Joint Regional and Maguindanao Conference /Covenant Signing A joint regional and Maguindanao conference convened on February 19, 2013 the electoral aspirants from the ARMM and the Maguindanao provincial levels. All stakeholders from both the region and province enthusiastically participated in the activity.

It was a remarkable undertaking where a total of 68 candidates participated. The activity witnessed the convening of contesting candidates from various feuding clans. It was also covered by the media and attended by various government employees, and civil society organizations. Despite the bad weather condition which prevented many candidates and national personalities from attending, the covenant signing/conference gathered a total of 438 listed participants and an estimated 600 more unlisted ones. The peace covenant signing was highlighted by the participation of ARMM gubernatorial candidate Pax Mangudadatu, and major Maguindanao governatorial candidates incumbent governor Ismael Mangudadatu, and Tucao Mastura, and members of political clans who were vying for positions in the ARMM and provincial levels. Some mayoralty candidates were also present. They themselves, together with all other local candidates signed a covenant for peace. The signing was witnessed by officials of the Comelec, PNP, and CER, namely: Atty. Ray Sumalipao, Regional Election Director-ARMM (representing Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes), Gen. Ager Ontog, National Taskforce Commander TF SAFE 2013, Police Director Lina C. Sarmiento, Director of the Directorate for Police Community Relations, PNP Supt. Noel O. Delos Reyes, Regional Director PRO-ARMM, and Ramon Casiple, CER Chairperson, among others. 2. Lanao del Sur Compact Signing and Stakeholders Conference The meaningful partnership fostered between and among security forces, government agencies, and civil society during the regional peace covenant signing paved the way to bring the same efforts into other ARMM provinces. Lanao del Sur a province listed as one among the areas of concern in the 2013 elections successfully held a compact signing and stakeholders conference on March 11, 2013. A total of 93 electoral candidates and 123 local CSOs participated in this significant event. It was highlighted by the participation of ARMM gubernatorial candidate Mujiv Hataman (who was unable to attend the ARMM peace covenant due to a typhoon). Other ARMM candidates who attended were Yusoph Mama running for gubernatorial seat and Haroun Rashid Lucman and Abdulaziz Mangandaki running for vice gubernatorial position. The conference was graced by key personalities from the regional and provincial level: The late BGen. Daniel Lucero of the Philippine Army, PSupt. Osar Nantes of PNP PRO-ARMM, Regional Election Director Ray Sumalipao of the Comlec, Atty. Vidsfar Julie of the ComelacLanao Sur, Salic Ibrahim of Citizens CARE, Ramon Casiple of CER, and Provincial Director Police Superintendent Marcelo Pintac. A unique form of pledging commitment, through the recommendation of Comelec Provincial Election Director Julie, the candidates swore in the Quran in public to show their commitment to conform to the agreement of the conference to support a peaceful and honest Lanao Sur election. Their show of commitment culminated with the signing of the covenant Isang Tipan sa Bayan. The rest of the stakeholders complemented the action taken by the candidates by showing their commitment to also support the call for a peaceful election by singing the Stakeholders Declaration. 3. Basilan Compact Signing and Stakeholders Conference

The same undertaking was held in Basilan in April 11, 2013. The date of the compact signing happened to fall on the same day where the Liberal Party also called on for a conference lead by no less than President Benigno Aquino III in Cotabato City. Many Basilan LP candidates who agreed to attend the compact signing opted to attend the LP gathering instead. Nonetheless, the activity gathered a total of 49 local candidates, together with their followers. Other local CSOs and government agencies also participated. Despite the low turnout of participants, resource speakers were in full support like Regional Election Director Ray Sumalipao of Comelec-ARMM, Ramon Casiple of CER, Col. Oscar Nantes of PNP PRO-ARMM, Dr. AboulKhair Tarason, Chairman of the National Ulama Council of the Philippines, among others. The compact signing was highlighted by the participation of provincial gubernatorial candidate Rabia Aunal Salapuddin, provincial vice-gubernatorial candidate Ondos Malik Sahdin, among others.

C. Partnership and Cooperation with Security Forces, Government Agencies, and Civil Society Organizations

The Payapa project continued to employ the effective approach of close cooperation among national, regional and local government authorities, and civil society stakeholders. At the national level, CER consistently coordinated with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), the Philippine National Police (PNP) through the PNP Directorate for Police Community Relations, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Department of Interior and Local Governance (DILG). Meanwhile, it also actively involved ARMM-based and Davao-based civil society organizations and networks with ARMM electoral projects, to wit: Mindanao Sustainable Economic Development (MINSED) Foundation Inc., Consortium on Bangsamoro Civil Society (CBCS), Bangsamoro Women Solidarity Forum, Citizens CARE, Maranao People Development Center, Inc. (MARADECA), Sentro ng Alternatibong Lingap Panligal (SALIGAN)-Mindanaw, Mindanao Peoples Caucus (MPC), Mindanao-Sulu Pastoral Council-Youth Secretariat (MSPCYS), Aksyon Mindanao, and the Bangsamoro Network Development, Inc. (NetDev). Task Force PAYAPA through the provincial networks and partners became facilitators and local convenors of the peace compacts in the various ARMM provinces. IV. Province of Masbate

Masbate, considered to be strategically located at the center of the Philippine archipelago, is a province with very rich natural resources. It is rich in terms of fishing, mining, coconut, and cattle resources. It is also an attractive and potential eco tourist destination given its rich biodiversity and pristine beaches. It is a part of the central nautical highway, therefore, it has the potential to develop excellent ports. However, despite the excellent state and environment of the province, it ironically remains to be the third poorest province out of the 81 provinces in the country. Poverty is considered to be rooted in the political situation of the province wherein politics have become a family affair where only few families hold political power.

There also is the fear factor where the people of Masbate opt to remain silent despite existing conditions because of massive cases of impunity and series of political killings. It is sometimes even considered a trendsetter to Election-Related Violent Incidents (ERVIs).The sovereign will of the people is not respected and there is the absence of democracy with massive vote buying and vote selling during elections. It has sadly developed the cultures of violence, of silence, of indifference/apathy, and of hopelessness. But there is still hope as signified in the 2010 national and local elections. After various initiatives carried out by the security forces and civil society organizations, a zero-incident was achieved during the election day, a first after many years of electoral violence in the province. Again in 2013, activities were undertaken by CER in partnership with the Masbate Advocates for Peace (MAP) to ensure peaceful elections in the province. The Masbate Advocates for Peace (MAP) was formed in 2010 as a broad coalition of people from the business community, professionals, academe, religious groups, local media, basic sectors and others in Masbate civil society advocating for an end to election violence in Masbate. Later it expanded its concerns to promoting development and peace and order in Masbate. MAP has a network in most of Masbates 22 towns and is in a position to work with basic sectors targeted by the project.

A. Walk for Hope and Peace Caravans As the election period kicked off in January 2013, the Masbate Advocates for Peace (MAP) spearheaded campaigns for peaceful, honest, and orderly elections in the province. The Walk for Hope held on February 23, 2013 encouraged residents from various municipalities to walk for peaceful elections. the activity concluded with a covenant signing among local candidates. Meanwhile the caravans held in various municipalities promoted messages to about peace and vigilance among voters. However, the caravan at the provincial level concluded with a short program with guests from the PNP, AFP, the church, and Civil Society Organizations. It was, however, noticed that only one among the four Gubernatorial candidates, Fr. Leo Casas of the Liberal Party, stayed during the program. B. PAYAPA Election-Related Violence Incidents (ERVI) Monitoring project Due to its paucity, the PAYAPA campaign in Masbate included a hastily-organized election violence monitoring project. This covered only the provincial and three legislative districts of Masbate. So far, there were a total of 6 incidents recorded and verified, with 5 fatalities and 2 wounded. There were reported harassments of campaigners and supporters until the present. V. Conclusion The PAYAPA anti-election violence initiative, as a civil society counterpart to the government initiatives, has proved to be effective and has proved itself as a model for handling future election violence situations. However, it needs to have a national framework, including cooperation with government authorities and other election stakeholders.