LINAMON, Lanao del Norte (MindaNews / 16 May) – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has declared no failure of elections in the two Lanao provinces, and the winning candidates have already been proclaimed. Joseph Hamilton Cuevas, provincial Comelec officer in Lanao del Norte, confirmed in a text message Friday morning that “all candidates who garnered the highest votes have been proclaimed.” However, Cuevas mentioned they are investigating a complaint of alleged vote-buying in Iligan City. Ellis Miguel, acting provincial election officer in Lanao del Sur, also stated in an interview Thursday morning that “all candidates in the province and in Marawi City have been proclaimed.” Meanwhile, Lieutenant General Antonio Nafarrete, Western Mindanao Command chief, commended around 300 troops who helped secure the elections in the Lanao provinces during a sendoff ceremony held Thursday at the headquarters of the 103rd Infantry “Haribon” Brigade in Marawi City. These troops included members of the 104th and 101st Division Reconnaissance Company (DRC) from the 10th Infantry Division in Davao de Oro, the 23DRC from the 2nd Infantry Division (2ID), and the 72DRC from the 7ID. Nafarrete praised their deployment, stating it demonstrated “tactical excellence and commitment to the constitutional mandate of the Armed Forces of the Philippines to protect the people and uphold democratic institutions.” He also noted that the WestMinCom was successful in securing the midterm elections and remains steadfast in safeguarding peace, security, and democracy in Western Mindanao. Nafarrete added that their experience has provided a “template” for implementing peace and security measures for the upcoming Bangsamoro parliamentary elections on October 13. He highlighted that political leaders and stakeholders respected the peace covenant signed before the recent elections, preventing political violence. Nafarrete also led a sendoff ceremony for troops deployed in the Maguindanao provinces at the headquarters of the 6th Infantry Division in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte. (Richel V. Umel / MindaNews)
