DAVAO CITY — The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) on Tuesday warned candidates in the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections against vote-buying and bringing firearms when campaigning in areas where communist rebels operate. Malaya also warned candidates against holding “counterrevolutionary activities,” such as intelligence gathering or discrediting the NDFP and NPA, using violence against their rivals, resorting to vote-buying, and bringing along crime suspects during the campaign. “We ensure the peaceful conduct of the elections and allow no one to sabotage it,” he added. “We will be securing voters for them to exercise their right to freely select their community leaders,” he said. ADVERTISEMENTBalagtey said NPA rebels were engaging in coercion “through their permit to campaign and permit to win schemes.”In North Cotabato province, soldiers clashed with NPA rebels in Makilala town on Tuesday but there were no reports of casualties, police said.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer May 08, 2018 21:11 UTC