Election officer survives ambush in Zamboanga City – Comelec chief

MANILA, Philippines (Updated at 8:47 p.m.) — A Sulu election officer survived an armed attack in Zamboanga City on Saturday, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia reported.

In a Viber message to the media, Garcia said provincial election supervisor (PES) Vidzfar Julie was declared safe while his brother died after the shooting. Julie and his brother were inside a car when they were ambushed by unidentified motorcycle-riding suspects.

A report released by Comelec said that Julie’s brother, Naser Amil Asiri, sustained a gunshot wound on the head and eventually succumbed to his injuries.

The report also noted that the suspects, who were on board an MC Honda Click and were wearing black jackets and full-face helmets, immediately fled the crime scene.

Garcia shared a screenshot of Julie’s Facebook post, which reads: “Mga duag kong matapang kayo ma pakilala kayo kong sino kayo para walang madamay ibang tao, buhay pa ako mga duag.”

(Cowards, if you are brave enough, come forward so others will not be involved. I am still alive, cowards.)

Sulu election officer Vidzfar Julie survives an ambush in Zamboanga City on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, according to Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia. (Screenshot provided by Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia)

READ: Comelec exec in Lanao del Norte dead in apparent poll-related violence

Garcia likewise said in a Viber message that “no words are enough to condemn this treacherous act of violence against our people.”

“What is more gruesome and unforgivable is when a loved one is caught in the crossfire so to speak. We are not yet prepared to cry hopelessness but a call for immediate action from authorities is strongly demanded,” he added.

READ: Election officers under serious threat to be reassigned to safer areas

In November, an election officer in Lanao del Norte was killed with the police saying its motive could be poll-related. The Comelec said Election Officer Mark Orlando Vallecer II had been receiving death threats after the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan 2023 elections.

Earlier, Garcia ordered the relief of election officers, who had received death threats, from their posts. The Comelec chief said they would be transferred to an area “less inconvenient” for them to ensure their safety.