CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Central Luzon police director Chief Supt. Leon Nilo de la Cruz said yesterday he might also include Bataan and Bulacan in addition to Nueva Ecija as election hotspots in Central Luzon.
In an interview with Punto, De la Cruz cited reports of armed goons being maintained by politicians in the three provinces.
This, even as police Director General Jesus Versoza identified Nueva Ecija , Sulu, Abra, Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, and Maguindanao as election hotpots, less than a year before the 2010 polls, saying these areas will be closely monitored by the police for possible election-related violence.
De la Cruz could not immediately say how many groups of armed goons exist in Central Luzon, but noted that some of their members are hired from the Rebolusyonaryong Hukbo ng Bayan (RHB).
De la Cruz said he earlier recommended the inclusion of Nueva Ecija in his region as among the hotspots to be closely monitored by the police amid the province’s history of election-related violence.
“Rivalry among political families there has remained intense,” he said, citing the Joson, Umali, Antonino, and Perez political clans.
But he also said he is inclined to also recommend Bataan and Bulacan for listing as hotspot areas in next year’s elections also amid “intense political rivalries” emerging in the two provinces.
De la Cruz said that despite political controversies in Pres. Arroyo’s home province in Pampanga, he did not expect violence in the province as the next election draws near. “Kapampangans become among the noisiest during elections, but they do not turn violent,” he said.
There have been nagging reports that Pres. Arroyo would run for Congress in Pampanga’s second district while her son, Rep. MIkey Arroyo who now represents the district, would seek the governorship amid prospects that incumbent Gov. Eddie Panlilio would seek reelection.
De la Cruz said he expected the government to offer amnesty to holders of unlicensed firearms anytime starting this month up to October. “This will enable us to know how much arms are in the hands of people and also enable us to identify those who would fail to renew the license of firearms registered before,” he said.
He said that after the amnesty, the police would be running in full force against owners of loose firearms in Central Luzon.
De la Cruz warned politicians against hiring RHB rebels who, he insisted, had long lost any communist ideology and have become “mere bandits.” He said that “now that elections are here, they are again for hire by politicians for fund-raising banditry.”
He warned politicians against hiring RHB rebels for their political ends. “Those who do so will face the full brunt of the law, including disqualification from running for political posts and being slapped with criminal charges,” he added.
Earlier, Versoza also said the police plan to address election-related violence by limiting the number of security escorts of VIPs to two each; requiring all security escorts to wear a duly-approved uniform; and imposing stricter penalties on unlicensed and unregistered firearms.
In an interview with Punto, De la Cruz cited reports of armed goons being maintained by politicians in the three provinces.
This, even as police Director General Jesus Versoza identified Nueva Ecija , Sulu, Abra, Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, and Maguindanao as election hotpots, less than a year before the 2010 polls, saying these areas will be closely monitored by the police for possible election-related violence.
De la Cruz could not immediately say how many groups of armed goons exist in Central Luzon, but noted that some of their members are hired from the Rebolusyonaryong Hukbo ng Bayan (RHB).
De la Cruz said he earlier recommended the inclusion of Nueva Ecija in his region as among the hotspots to be closely monitored by the police amid the province’s history of election-related violence.
“Rivalry among political families there has remained intense,” he said, citing the Joson, Umali, Antonino, and Perez political clans.
But he also said he is inclined to also recommend Bataan and Bulacan for listing as hotspot areas in next year’s elections also amid “intense political rivalries” emerging in the two provinces.
De la Cruz said that despite political controversies in Pres. Arroyo’s home province in Pampanga, he did not expect violence in the province as the next election draws near. “Kapampangans become among the noisiest during elections, but they do not turn violent,” he said.
There have been nagging reports that Pres. Arroyo would run for Congress in Pampanga’s second district while her son, Rep. MIkey Arroyo who now represents the district, would seek the governorship amid prospects that incumbent Gov. Eddie Panlilio would seek reelection.
De la Cruz said he expected the government to offer amnesty to holders of unlicensed firearms anytime starting this month up to October. “This will enable us to know how much arms are in the hands of people and also enable us to identify those who would fail to renew the license of firearms registered before,” he said.
He said that after the amnesty, the police would be running in full force against owners of loose firearms in Central Luzon.
De la Cruz warned politicians against hiring RHB rebels who, he insisted, had long lost any communist ideology and have become “mere bandits.” He said that “now that elections are here, they are again for hire by politicians for fund-raising banditry.”
He warned politicians against hiring RHB rebels for their political ends. “Those who do so will face the full brunt of the law, including disqualification from running for political posts and being slapped with criminal charges,” he added.
Earlier, Versoza also said the police plan to address election-related violence by limiting the number of security escorts of VIPs to two each; requiring all security escorts to wear a duly-approved uniform; and imposing stricter penalties on unlicensed and unregistered firearms.
