Despite the gun ban imposed by the Commission on Elections as the May election campaign started this month, police are expecting violence to erupt in various hot spots throughout the country.

The opposition suspects something sinister in the recent appointment of retired National Police director Gen. G. Ebdane as secretary of defense. They forsee the use of the military and the police by the administration to ensure the victory of its candidates in this mid-term election for the Senate and the House of Representatives as well as local governments. Another bad omen, they alleged, is the campaign by the Department of Local Governments to implement the Ombudsman’s order to oust scores of local officials who were found guilty of graft and other charges. The opposition said only the courts, not the Ombudsman have the power to order the removal of elected officials.