MAMASAPANO MASSACRE

Introduction
The Mamasapano clash was a shootout that took place during a police operation by the Special
Action Force (SAF) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) on January 25, 2015, in Tukanalipao,
Mamasapano, then-undivided Maguindanao (which is now Maguindanao del Sur). The
operation, codenamed Oplan Exodus, was intended to capture or kill wanted Malaysian
terrorist and bomb-maker Zulkifli Abdhir and other Malaysian terrorists or high-ranking
members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Originally a mission to serve arrest warrants for high-ranking terrorists, it led to the deaths of
44 members of the SAF, 18 from the MILF and the BIFF, five civilians, and the death of Zulkifli
Abdhir confirmed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the PNP at 6:30 p.m. on
February 4, 2015, through a matching DNA result. He was one of FBI's most wanted terrorists.
Getulio Napeñas, the relieved SAF commander, estimates about 250 deaths from his
assumption that each SAF sniper may have taken down at least 20 opponents from the
combined MILF, BIFF, and private militias during the encounter although this was not confirmed
and was met with skepticism since aside from the fact that there was no actual body count,
there is no acceptable level of evidence to prove his claim. Napenas' estimate was also
debunked by the MILF and by the local government of Mamasapano.
The mission itself was declared successful since the target was neutralized. The severity of the
policemen's situation prompted the government peace panel to intervene and requested a
ceasefire from the MILF. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) also conducted a rescue
operation to save the remaining 29 SAF survivors who were encircled by the enemies.
The operation caught the attention of the public for the relatively high number of police officers
killed. The mission was called Oplan Exodus, initially misattributed as Oplan Wolverine by the
local media. Oplan Wolverine refers to three of the other nine prior operation attempts
targeting Marwan; Oplan Wolverine 1, 2, and 3 launched in December 2012, March and May
2014, respectively, by the PNP-SAF. The incident caused the Congress of the Philippines to halt
the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law, effectively endangering the peace process between
the government and the MILF.
Mamasapano Massacre
Until now I still have this ill feeling about the recent news headlines on the killing of
forty-four men from SAF (Special Action Force) police unit. Seeing the pictures posted on
Philippine's ABS-CBN, almost all of them are young at age. Hearing and meeting the bereaved
families' sentiments has unmatched effect on me. Their children are still young too, the other
families who hailed from Samar have just started to move on from the tragic storm surge
caused by Typhoon Yolanda. They could not be blame thinking they are cursed.
Robert (alias), a survivor of the clash as interviewed by a reporter, told the reporters that
one of his injured friend-comrade begged him not to leave him there. But he failed to give in to
that request. Robert said, he had to escape for his own life and so that he can bring their
message to their families. He tells the story of a comrade who has sacrificed his life to help him
escape. It melts my heart that most of the deceased men Robert saw, held their mobile
phones on their last breath...they died while looking on the phone trying to reach their love
ones. And makes me feel hate to know that a rebel even stole the uniform (as a belief that it is
a sign of victory) and mobile phone of one of the deceased men and still have the guts to
answer the call of the grieving family introducing himself, telling them (who are still hoping that
their kin was still alive) that he has the phone and they were all dead. How brutal that is?!
Being on the shoes of these grieving families, I may not opt for peace with them. I want them
dead too. They are too cruel to have butchered them, news said it was overkill. Shooting the
men on faces and almost ripping their bodies off with their bullets, the remains of most were
not able to be viewed in a mirrored casket, the head part was covered. How can we have mercy
for the militants who have inflicted such brutality to our fellow human beings?
We, Filipinos, hope for peace with the militants (the BIFF Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom
Fighters and MILF + Abu Sayaff) and continue the long-been awaited Peace Talk Agreement. To
avoid future massive deaths like it, there is no choice at all - sorry to the victims' families...the
government has decided to continue what has been started on peace negotiations.
Conclusion
The incident in Mamasapano should be a lesson for us all. We need to acknowledge that
local actors, despite differences in inclinations and beliefs, are all important in any effort to
conduct effective missions, whether counterterrorism, counterinsurgency, or even
counterpoverty.
An interesting perspective was raised by Gov. Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous
Region in Muslim Mindanao: What happened in Tukanalipao could have been a case of
pintakasi—a common practice among certain ethnic groups in Mindanao where the
community’s collective effort is achieved and the numerous actors on the ground, despite their
differences, work together toward the accomplishment of one goal. In this case, it was to
thwart (or eliminate) the intruders in the community.
Without coordinating with those who understand the realities on the ground, the framers of
Oplan Exodus sent the SAF troopers to a strange terrain where 44 of them met their end. We
continue to remember them. We continue to call for justice and hope that their sacrifice will
not be in vain.
 ELECTION FRAUD

Introduction
Electoral fraud, sometimes referred to as election manipulation, voter fraud or vote
rigging, involves illegal interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the
vote share of a favored candidate, depressing the vote share of rival candidates, or both. It
differs from but often goes hand-in-hand with voter suppression. What exactly constitutes
electoral fraud varies from country to country.
Electoral legislation outlaws many kinds of election fraud, but other practices violate
general laws, such as those banning assault, harassment or libel. Although technically the term
"electoral fraud" covers only those acts which are illegal, the term is sometimes used to
describe acts which are legal, but considered morally unacceptable, outside the spirit of an
election or in violation of the principles of democracy. Show elections, featuring only one
candidate, are sometimes classified[by whom?] as electoral fraud, although they may comply
with the law and are presented more as referendums/plebiscites.
In national elections, successful electoral fraud on a sufficient scale can have the effect of
a coup d'état, protest or corruption of democracy. In a narrow election, a small amount of fraud
may suffice to change the result. Even if the outcome is not affected, the revelation of fraud can
reduce voters' confidence in democracy.
Election Fraud
Electoral fraud can occur in advance of voting if the composition of the electorate is
altered. The legality of this type of manipulation varies across jurisdictions. Deliberate
manipulation of election outcomes is widely considered a violation of the principles of
democracy.
In many cases, it is possible for authorities to artificially control the composition of an
electorate in order to produce a foregone result. One way of doing this is to move a large
number of voters into the electorate prior to an election, for example by temporarily assigning
them land or lodging them in flophouses. Many countries prevent this with rules stipulating
that a voter must have lived in an electoral district for a minimum period (for example, six
months) in order to be eligible to vote there. However, such laws can also be used for
demographic manipulation as they tend to disenfranchise those with no fixed address, such as
the homeless, travelers, Roma, students (studying full-time away from home), and some casual
workers.

Conclusion
Competitive elections are the basis for a representative democracy where citizens elect
representatives to act as their agents in making and enforcing laws and decisions. Elections also
serve as a mechanism for holding elected officials accountable for their performance in office,
as voters pass judgement on the incumbents by voting for or against them or their party.
Electoral processes can also make political decisions, such as when referendums are held on
public issues. Since the citizens have a personal stake in the election, and will be governed by
the personalities and policies of those who win, elections can become emotional events.
The high political and personal stakes in the results of an election, or the perception of a
personal stake, can be the source of many integrity problems. Most of these involve unethical
personal behaviour aimed at trying to ensure a certain election result. But not all integrity
problems are caused by deliberate or corrupt action. In order for the process to accurately
reflect the will of the voters, the electoral system must be free, fair and competitive. This
requires that the Legal Framework and Institutional Framework be designed to protect election
integrity and that it include the legal and institutional safeguards of a free and fair process.
It also requires an accurate and transparent administration of the legal framework and electoral
process and that all officials and participants are held accountable for their actions. Finally it
requires continued monitoring and enforcement.
These institutional and legal mechanisms must also ensure a climate free from intimidation and
fear, so that voters are able to freely express their will without fear of retribution.