Published: November 23, 2009
MANILA — In one of the worst incidents of election-related violence in the Philippines in recent memory, a group of 36 people — including lawyers and journalists — were kidnapped by armed men on Monday, and military officials said that 21 of them had been killed.
Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner, a military spokesman in Manila, said 21 bodies had been recovered in Maguindanao, a province in the southern Philippines that has often been wracked by violence during elections.
Maj. Gen. Alfredo Cayton, a security official in the province, said in a radio interview that the victims had been shot. But relatives of most of the victims said at least 30 abductees had been killed — many of them beheaded — by a group of about 100 men.
The victims were reportedly stopped on their way to an election office to file candidacy papers for Esmael Mangudadatu, the deputy mayor of the town of Buluan who plans to run for governor of Maguindanao. Mr. Mangudadatu said on ABS-CBN television that his wife, his sister and several other female relatives were among the group and that he had received confirmation that they had been killed.
He said they were filing his candidacy documents in the hopes that women would not be attacked.
Lawyers and reporters accompanied the group, although the military did not identify the bodies they had recovered.
Mr. Mangudadatu’s uncle, Pax Mangudadatu, the governor of Sultan Kudarat Province, said the deputy mayor’s supporters had been targeted by backers of Andal Ampatuan, the current governor of Maguindanao.
The families are bitter political enemies.
The governor did not issue an immediate comment about the attack.
Islamist separatism and longstanding clan rivalries can complicate and inflame the security situation during Philippine election campaigns. Armed criminal groups and thugs hired by political warlords have worsened the situation.
The Philippines is due to hold local and national elections in May. The filing of candidacy documents began Nov. 20.
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