26-11-2024 (MANILA) Two Commission on Elections (Comelec) officials have been assassinated in separate incidents in Mindanao, sparking serious concerns about electoral safety in the troubled region and prompting a stern response from the country’s election chief.
The victims, Mark Orlando Vallecer II and Janeco Allan Dionaldo Pandoy, were gunned down in broad daylight attacks that bore striking similarities, with both involving motorcycle-riding assailants. These targeted killings have sent shockwaves through the electoral body and highlighted the persistent dangers faced by election workers in volatile regions.
Vallecer, who served as acting election officer in Nunungan, Lanao del Norte, was fatally shot on Monday afternoon while driving through Barangay Curva Miagao. According to local police chief Major Teodorico Gallego, the attack occurred as Vallecer’s vehicle slowed down on a rough road section following his attendance at an official meeting. Despite being rushed to Bontilao Hospital, he was pronounced dead on arrival.
In a disturbing revelation, associates of Vallecer, including fellow members of the Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals, disclosed that he had previously reported receiving death threats from local political figures. The victim, a Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan alumnus, had just participated in his batch’s reunion days before his death.
The second victim, Pandoy, an election assistant in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat, met his fate two days earlier while returning from a barber shop in President Quirino town. Major Joemarie Cua, the local police chief, confirmed that Pandoy was attacked while riding his motorcycle, succumbing to his injuries at the Immaculate Conception Hospital.
Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia responded forcefully to the killings, characterising them as “an assault on democracy itself” rather than mere attacks on civil servants. “These acts of violence will not undermine our commitment to democratic processes,” Garcia declared, promising a robust response to the perpetrators.
The incidents have raised urgent questions about the safety of election officials in Mindanao, where political violence has long been a concerning feature of local governance. Law enforcement agencies have launched intensive investigations into both cases, though no arrests have been made thus far.
The deaths of these officials, occurring just days apart, have cast a shadow over the electoral process in Mindanao and highlighted the urgent need for enhanced security measures to protect those who serve on the frontlines of democracy.
