Gunmen kill six in Philippine election violence

MANILA, May 4 (Reuters) Six supporters of a congressional candidate were killed and three wounded in the bloodiest day yet on the Philippine election campaign trail, police said today.

The ambush by unidentified gunmen in the north of the archipelago raised to 89 the number of people killed since campaigning started in January for congressional and local elections on May 14.

The murder rate has accelerated as polling draws close and earlier this week President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo called out the army to help police halt the bloodshed.

''Their real target was me. They thought I was in that vehicle,'' Cecilia Luna, who is running for a congressional seat in the northern province of Abra, told local television.

Rivalry among political clans, competition for lucrative public seats, a trigger-happy culture, and Muslim and communist insurgencies have made Philippine elections bloody affairs.

In the 2004 presidential elections, 189 people were killed and 279 wounded, one of the deadliest since dictator Ferdinand Marcos was overthrown in 1986.

This year, half of the 24-seat Senate, all of the 235-member House of Representatives and nearly 18,000 local government seats are up for grabs.

Reuters KK GC1657