AFP
Engaging in Partisan Politics?
Progressive party-list groups cry "harassment"
Recent reports indicate the existence of a plan by the Armed Forces
of the Philippines (AFP), along with the Philippine National Police
(PNP), to deny elective seats for Leftist party-list groups in Congress
this May.
 Bayan
Muna, Anakpawis, Gabriela and Kabataan Youth Party have cried foul
over what appears to be a systematic and widespread campaign by
the military to campaign against them as early as 2004, citing two
AFP documents which outline the military's plan to deny them the
votes at the community level.
The documents, which Bayan Muna reportedly obtained from a military
official in the Visayas, instruct soldiers and police operatives
nationwide to prevent the said party-list groups from campaigning.
Prescribed methods include, "extensive and aggressive SOTs
(Special Operations Teams)" and Tactical Operations against
the identified party-list group, secure warrants of arrests for
leaders, prevent candidates supportive of Left parties from campaigning
in areas controlled by the PNP, conduct house-to-house information
campaigns, file disqualification cases, and promote "allied"
party-list groups.
Reports of increasing military presence in several communities in
Metro Manila seem to confirm the existence of the documents as well
as reports of systematic efforts by the AFP to campaign against
progressives. Bayan Muna officials verified complaints that armed
soldiers were urging residents not to vote for parties they claim
to be "Communist fronts" after visiting a community in
Payatas, an urban poor community in Quezon City.
Bayan
Muna has filed a complaint before the Commission on Elections (COMELEC)
over what it claims is a clear violation of a memorandum of agreement
(MoA) signed in October 2006 by the defense department and COMELEC,
proscribing the military from engaging in partisan political acts
in the May 2007 elections.
Instead of deputizing the entire AFP for poll duties during elections,
the agreement grants COMELEC to deputize actual units or commands
only in areas identified as affected by "serious armed threats."
Under the agreement, deputized AFP units will function, among others,
only to:
1. Provide security personnel only to areas covered by serious armed
threat;
2. Man checkpoints in locations jointly identified by COMELEC and
AFP;
3. Enforce the election gun ban;
Military personnel are also banned from election duties such as
canvassing of votes and clustering of precincts. Military personnel
are proscribed from providing security to candidates, Comelec personnel
and other government employees, as well as members of accredited
citizen's poll-watch groups performing election duties.
Defense officials confirmed the deployment of troops in Metro Manila,
but gave conflicting statements on their mission. AFP information
chief Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro said some 243 officers and enlisted
personnel were deployed in 27 barangays of Metro Manila to undergo
"Community Development" training. Earlier, AFP-National
Capital Region Command chief Maj. Gen. Ben Dolorfino said soldiers
were deployed to enforce law and order in the barangays.
Soldiers, however, are not allowed to perform police duties, a fact
PNP Deputy Director Gen. Avelino Razon was quick to point out, saying
"the military should not be engaged in anti-crime operations."
In any case, Bacarro insisted that the military will maintain a
presence in the 27 barangays, unless, he said, the COMELEC ordered
them out.
The issue will therefore be a test case for COMELEC if it can demand
compliance to an agreement that was contemplated to insulate a democratic
exercise from military meddling in the first place.
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