MANILA (UPDATED) — The Commission on Elections on Monday said it is studying the possible transfer of the Sulu poll supervisor who survived an ambush this weekend.

Vidzfar Julie, provincial election supervisor of Sulu, also a lawyer, was on board his Toyota Fortuner when gunmen on a motorcycle shot his vehicle in Villa Sta. Maria, Zamboanga City on Saturday morning.

Julie was unharmed, but his brother, Nasser Asiri, sustained a gunshot wound in the head. Asiri was brought to a hospital but succumbed to his injuries.

READ: Sulu election officer survives ambush; brother killed

Speaking on TeleRadyo Serbisyo, Comelec Chairman George Garcia condemned the violence and vowed to bring justice to the victims.

Garcia said Julie was already coordinating with law enforcement authorities for possible lead to the case. Julie believes he was the target of the ambush, according to Garcia, who is now studying his possible transfer.

However, he said Julie refused a possible transfer because it could be perceived as a victory for the perpetrators.

"Nakikiusap siya na huwag na huwag siyang ililipat dahil kaya naman niya ang seguridad ng kaniyang buhay," he said.

(He is requesting not to be transferred because he said he can manage his own security.)

"Ating binabalanse 'yang request na 'yan. Mas mataas ang interes na maprotektahan, hindi siya masasaktan. We will make a decision within this week," he added.

(We are balancing that request. The bigger interest is to ensure his protection and that he won’t be harmed. We will make a decision within this week.)

'POLITICIAN MAY BE INVOLVED IN AMBUSH'

In a separate interview, Garcia said investigators have leads pointing to the possible involvement of a politician in the ambush of Julie.

He said the ambush might have something to do with some supposed requests from certain politicians that the provincial election supervisor allegedly denied.

As an example, Garcia said the poll body had denied the request of some politicians for lists of voters with photos, saying it violates data privacy.

AREA OF CONCERN

Garcia also said that Sulu is not being considered as an area of concern or for placement under Comelec control, explaining that one incident should not serve as a basis, as it would be "unfair" to the economy of a particular place or local government unit.

He added that all incidents of violence against political figures, even outside the election period, are considered election-related.

The Philippine National Police is gathering data, he said, on which places should be placed under Comelec's control, as he reiterated his appeal to the Department of the Interior and Local Government to launch a crackdown on private armies.

Garcia said no threats have been monitored so far against regional directors, while a threat is being monitored against a Comelec official in the "Iloilo area" based on intelligence.

SPECIAL TASK GROUP

A special task group has been formed to investigate the alleged kill attempt on the election officer. 

Garcia appealed to the PNP and the DILG to immediately arrest and hold the perpetrators accountable.

"Ang pakiusap natin sa PNP, sana may maaresto sapagkat pangatlo na ito dyan sa Mindanao. Pagpasok na pagpasok ng Enero ay hindi namin papayagan na magkaroon pa ng ganito," Garcia told TeleRadyo Serbisyo.

(Our appeal to the PNP is to arrest someone because this is already the third incident in Mindanao. As soon as January begins, we will not allow this to happen again.)

The PNP has already formed a special investigation task group to probe the ambush, with investigators currently reviewing CCTV footage to trace Vidzfar’s travel route. 

According to Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo, spokesperson for the PNP, among their challenges is the lack of eyewitnesses.

"Siyempre po, 'yung mga CCTV po natin ay 'yung iba po diyan ay mga privately-owned po," said Fajardo.

"Initial interview conducted by our investigating unit po ay may nabanggit po si Atty. Julie po na may mga hawak po siyang kaso relating po dito sa paparating po na eleksyon. So, titingnan po natin 'yan na anggulo po," she said.

In previous elections, Sulu had been placed under the yellow category due to the occurrence of suspected election-related violence, intense political rivalries, and politically motivated incidents. -- with a report from Michael Joe Delizo, ABS-CBN News