8 Die in Philippine Political Violence

At least eight people were killed in two election-related incidents in the Philippines, police said Saturday.

Police found the bodies of five supporters of the mayor of Batangas, a city south of Manila, who were abducted by gunmen Friday.

Also Saturday, three people were killed in a clash between supporters of rival candidates in Calamba, a city in Laguna province, police said.

The police chief in Batangas province, Senior Supt. Rodolfo Magtibay, said about 20 armed men burst into the residence of a supporter of Mayor Eddie Dimacuja, who is seeking reelection. They seized the homeowner and four other men before fleeing, he said.

The bodies of the five men, who were apparently stabbed to death, were found Saturday under a bridge outside the city, Magtibay said. There were no immediate suspects.

In the second incident, police said a gunfight erupted after a political campaigner confronted supporters of a rival who were allegedly tearing down his candidate’s campaign posters. Three people were killed and three others wounded in the shooting in Calamba, police said.

Meanwhile, in the central city of Catbalogan, the mayor of Tarangan town, Francisco Montero, was gunned down by motorcycle-riding gunmen, the military said. Saturday’s attack came about a month after Montero took office. His predecessor, then-Mayor Anieto Olase, was killed, allegedly by communist rebels.

The election season in the Philippines is often marred by violence and assassinations. Election-related violence has killed nearly 50 people and injured more than 100 since Dec. 15, national police say.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and the main opposition candidate, actor Fernando Poe Jr., are close in recent voter surveys. On May 10, voters will choose the president, vice president, 24 senators, 200 members of Congress and thousands of local officials in the country’s 79 provinces.