Philippine Congressional, Local Elections Generally Peaceful

The congressional and local elections in the Philippines were held generally peaceful on Monday, as polls have closed in most part of the country.

"It (Election) ended so far, so good, not withstanding the minor problems encountered in today's polls and pre-election- related violence," the Philippine News Agency quoted Guillermo Luz, Secretary General of the unofficial polls watch body, the National Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) as saying.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo also expressed satisfaction over Monday's orderly elections. Her spokesperson Rigoberto Tiglao said in a news release that while there were incidents of violence, "in terms of the level, it's not something extraordinary."

Several killings nationwide marred Monday's elections and lifted the election-related death toll to around 80 since the campaign began three months ago. Monday's victims included candidates, supporters and voters.

Three towns were declared failure of elections by the Philippine Commission on Elections (Comelect) for various reasons.

Ballot boxes and other paraphernalia failed to reach several precincts in Tineg, Abra province in northern Philippines, on Monday morning, mostly due to heavy rain and transportation problems. Voters in the precincts will cast their ballot on Saturday.

Meanwhile, separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front guerrillas fired rocket-propelled grenades into a town hall in Matanog of Maguindanao province, southern Philippines.

While no fatalities were reported, the explosions sowed panic among the voters in the town with 11,418 voters and causing the announcement of election failure later for the town.

The Comelect also declared a postponement of polls in Pantar, Lanao del Norterovince in southern Philippines, after names of voters have been found deleted in the computerized voters' list, which is seen as a measure to prevent those voters from casting

their votes.

An arrest order is likely to issue to a treasurer of Caloocan city, Metro Manila, who failed to deliver the election materials on time, and resulted in the postponement of voting in a district of the city.

Results of Monday's elections are expected to come out after two weeks of counting work starting around 3:00 p.m. (GMT 0700) Monday.

Thirteen of the 24 Senate seats, all the 260 seats in the House of Representatives and more than 17,000 local posts, from provincial governors to town mayors and councilors, are going to be filled

according to the results.

The elections are widely seen as a referendum on the administration of Arroyo, who came to power in January in a popular revolt which toppled her crruption-tainted predecessor Joseph Estrada, and survived an alleged plot of opposition leaders to unseat her on May 1 by inciting thousands of Estrada's supporters to storm the presidential palace.






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