KIKO ON THE MURDER OF KALINGA VICE-GOV. DIANSEN

"The brutal murder of Kalinga Vice-governor Rommel Diansen is a blow to our call for a fair and peaceful election. It is deplorable this campaign period has been tainted by blood, especially because the chance to be of service to our countrymen should never be rooted on violence and hunger for power. We call on government to swiftly address this heinous crime and prevent a repeat of the incident. We need to step up our efforts if we are to change how elections are being held in this country. We cannot allow brutality to demean the sanctity of our electoral process."

"We likewise call on the public to be vigilant, and to use their voting power as a silent protest to politicians who utilize guns, gold and goons to get to office. We call on both the COMELEC and the PNP to increase their efforts at preventing election-related violence as we come to the last five weeks of the campaign. Election violence if left unchecked threatens the viability of democratic rule in the country. We call on the voters to be vigilant as we come closer to Election Day. Fraud can only be prevented if the people themselves are vigilant and are willing to help guard the ballots from those who wish to subvert the people's will."