CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — “Pagdating sa resources, full force kami at gusto natin ibigay ang aming commitment that [Philippine National Police] will remain apolitical and nonpartisan dito sa darating na elections.”
Thus, Police Regional Office 3 director Brig. Gen. Jean S. Fajardo declared during hearing of the House Committee on Public Order and Safety on Jan. 20.
“We will provide all the necessary assistance sa [Commission on Elections] po to make sure na magkakaroon tayo ng safe and secure and credible elections. So, all resources, both personnel and logistical assets po ay ikino-commit ng buong PNP to make sure na lahat ito ay magagamit not only during the actual elections, but before, during, and after elections po,” furthered Fajardo, the former PNP spokesperson.
According to her, the PNP is undertaking continuous security risk assessments to update the election areas of concern and determine which areas will need additional security deployment.
“Ang objective po ng inyong kapulisan ay mas mapababa pa po ang naunang naisama na election areas of concern… mag-recommend tayo ng additional deployment, particularly coming from the mobile forces and special action force, to make sure na trained and highly skilled ang mga pulis na ilalagay natin particularly sa conflict areas,” explained Fajardo.
“As an additional security measure, mayroon na ring utos ang ating chief PNP, and this was already cascaded sa ating mga provincial directors na mag-designate ng official or focal person doon sa mga magkakalaban sa nalalapit na eleksyon, para maglagay tayo ng pulis na kahit paano, kung may concern ang both parties, madali natin maaaksyunan at ma-diffuse ang mga possible tension arising from these contending parties,” she disclosed.
During the House plenary session on Monday, General Santos City Rep. Loreto Acharon called for “appropriate legal frameworks that specifically respond to matters relating to firearms ownership and partisan armed groups (PAGs).”
“Or else all our efforts to reduce if not totally eradicate election-related violence will remain uncoordinated and untenable,” he said.
“It is incumbent upon us to continue advancing urgent policy responses to ensure both short- and long-term integrity of our electoral democracy,” Acharon added.
“The emerging pattern shows that election-related incidents are more violent during the pre-election and post-election periods because these particular acts receive less attention from third party multi-national observers, who conduct missions only during the actual election day. It has also been noted that while the active participation of PAGs in previous elections is well established, a new trend has emerged showing that unidentified armed assailants in smaller teams are now being used to commit violence to manipulate election results and intimidate voters,” he explained. Punto News Team/ABS-CBN News
