<p>Three people were shot dead and 10 others wounded when police clashed with supporters of a mayoral candidate in the southern province of Zamboanga Sibugay before dawn, local military spokesman Captain Arnold Gasalatan said.<br /><br />The cause of the clash was unclear but the police were ordered back to their stations, he said, adding the military had secured the area pending an investigation.<br />In the strife-torn southern province of Maguindanao, two men were killed as the armed followers of two rival politicians engaged in a gunbattle today, said military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Arnulfo Burgos.<br /><br />One of the dead was identified as a member of an armed group, he said.<br />In another incident in the south, a cousin of the vice governor in North Cotabato province was gunned down while riding on a motorcycle before polls opened, regional police said in a statement.<br /><br />He and another man on the motorbike were ambushed by suspected gunmen of a rival candidate in Kidapawan town, according to the statement. The other man was wounded but his injuries were not life threatening.<br /><br />More than 40 million Filipinos were expected to go to the polls today to elect more than 17,000 positions from the president down to town councilor.<br />Violence always plagues elections in the Philippines, with local politicians often using gunmen to eliminate rivals' challenges or intimidate voters.</p>
<p>Three people were shot dead and 10 others wounded when police clashed with supporters of a mayoral candidate in the southern province of Zamboanga Sibugay before dawn, local military spokesman Captain Arnold Gasalatan said.<br /><br />The cause of the clash was unclear but the police were ordered back to their stations, he said, adding the military had secured the area pending an investigation.<br />In the strife-torn southern province of Maguindanao, two men were killed as the armed followers of two rival politicians engaged in a gunbattle today, said military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Arnulfo Burgos.<br /><br />One of the dead was identified as a member of an armed group, he said.<br />In another incident in the south, a cousin of the vice governor in North Cotabato province was gunned down while riding on a motorcycle before polls opened, regional police said in a statement.<br /><br />He and another man on the motorbike were ambushed by suspected gunmen of a rival candidate in Kidapawan town, according to the statement. The other man was wounded but his injuries were not life threatening.<br /><br />More than 40 million Filipinos were expected to go to the polls today to elect more than 17,000 positions from the president down to town councilor.<br />Violence always plagues elections in the Philippines, with local politicians often using gunmen to eliminate rivals' challenges or intimidate voters.</p>