CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – The director of the Pampanga police clarified yesterday that he has never recommended the inclusion of Pampanga as a “hotspot” for the 2013 elections, in reaction to reports that Interior and Local Governments Sec. Mar Roxas had cited the province as one of the 15 such areas in the country.
“I did not submit any recommendation to the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) for the declaration of Pampanga as high risk area or be included in the election hot spot in the 2013 elections,” said police chief Senior Supt. R’win Pagkalinawan.
Pagkalinawan issued this clarification after Roxas was quoted to have said that Pampanga is one of the 15 provinces named high risk areas in next year’s mid- term elections.
Pagkalinwan said he was surprised with the declaration of Secretary Roxas.
“I was surprised when the secretary mentioned Pampanga as one of the high risk areas since our office has never made any such recommendation,” said Pagkaliwanan in a local radio program. .
He noted there was no reason for such a move, as he cited lowered crime rate in Pampanga under the administration of Gov. Lilia Pineda.
Pagkalinawan also noted that from the average 500 crime incidents monthly, the number of crimes in Pampanga has gone town to an average of only 200 incidents per month.
He said, however, that only the town of Arayat could be considered election hotspot after recent killings that appeared to be politically motivated.
Other areas cited as hotspots by Roxas were Nueva Ecija, Abra, Pangasinan, Cagayan, La Union, Ilocos Sur, Batangas, Cavite, Masbate, Samar, Misamis Occidental, Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur and Basilan.
In a recent meeting of the Central Luzon Peace and Order Council, Roxas, flanked by Liberal Party gubernatorial candidate Eddie Panlilio and in the presence of Pineda and other governors in the region, ordered Pagkalinawan to stop jueteng operations in Pampanga.
Pagkalinawan denied jueteng operations in Pampanga, and insisted only the legal small town lottery were mistaken for jueteng.
