THE Philippine National Police (PNP) recorded at least eighteen incidents that have claimed the lives of nine politicians and wreaked injuries to 11 others—all related to the mid-term local and national elections next year.

The National Police has started recording ‘pre-election’ related incidents on October 1 based on a memorandum issued by the Commission on Election as part of security preparation for the upcoming election.

Of the 18 incidents, 14 have been confirmed and validated by the police investigators as ‘election’ or ‘pre-election’ related incidents resulting in nine deaths and wounding of 11 others, PNP data show.

A police official said that based on existing parameters, investigators have at least two weeks to determine the cause of an incident before it can be officially declared as election related.

“The local police has three days to determine the cause; a report will be forwarded to the national headquarters which in turn has ten days to investigate the case,” a police official who asked not to be named said.

If after that period investigators failed to determine the cause of incidents, especially if it involved elected government officials, then that would be the time that it will be declared as election-related, the police official said.

Five of the nine fatalities are incumbent barangay chairmen, either seeking a higher post or are political supporters; one village councilman and one incumbent mayor are in the death toll.

The latest pre-election related incident involving an elected government official that the Police headquarters have recorded up to Wednesday was the slaying of a village chairman in Tondo, Manila on Monday.

Camp Crame records said that Arthur Grutas, chairman of Barangay 101, Zone 8 of Tondo, Manila, was parking his car on Monday, when two unidentified gunmen shot him dead at point blank range.

The first recorded pre-election incident was on October 3—when six armed men attacked and wounded Macario Diaz Boongaling, president of Association of Barangay Captains in Candelaria, Quezon City.

Camp Crame records said that Boongaling, while driving his vehicle, was attacked by six armed men along a village road in Barangay Pahinga Sur, Candelaria, Quezon, on October 3.

The first recorded killing tied to the 2013 polls took place on October 10—when Reneboy Lacerna, chairman of Barangay Sua in Barobo town in Surigao del Norte province, who was about to board his pump boat at a wharf in Purok 4, Barangay Poblacion, Barobo, was shot and killed by three still unidentified gunmen.