PNP ready for b’gay, SK polls as campaign period begins

As the nine-day election campaign period began yesterday, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said it is a hundred-percent ready to implement its intensive and well-coordinated security plan for the Oct. 29 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan synchronized polls.

PNP chief Director General Avelino Razon Jr. has directed police commanders nationwide, especially provincial directors and cities and municipal police chiefs, to directly supervise the strict implementation of the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) rules and election laws and prohibitions in order to ensure honest, orderly and peaceful polls.

Razon particularly ordered PNP commanders to put up more checkpoints to prevent the movement of partisan armed groups and the transport of firearms.

As of this week, 40 high-powered and 72 low-powered firearms have been confiscated from 119 persons – 105 of whom were civilians – caught for violating the Comelec gun ban.

Razon also ordered his local commanders to secure advance information on the schedules and specific venues of barangay assemblies and public fora of candidates so that appropriate actions can be made to secure the activities and to prevent partisan armed groups from threatening the events.

The PNP chief directed commanders down to the station level to enhance the PNP’s Barangay Intelligence Networks (BIN) as backbone for close intelligence monitoring and for intelligence-driven ISO (internal security operations) to check the activities of various threat groups like the New People’s Army.

The move is also aimed at denying threat groups the opportunity to take advantage of the election by supporting their candidates in areas where they hold influence or operate.

Razon likewise ordered his commanders to see to it that Comelec rules on common poster areas are strictly followed.

He warned that volunteers of candidates will be arrested and charged with violation of the election law if they are caught posting campaign materials in prohibited areas.

The PNP chief also directed his commanders to further sustain the Pro-Democracy Enhancement program of the PNP which emphasizes the call for healthy nationalism, unity in purpose and the pursuit of peaceful elections, and patriotism in the exercise of the sovereign will of the people.

He also directed the PNP’s district and regional public information offices (RPIO) to take proactive steps in disseminating through print and broadcast media the PNP’s security advisories, the Election Monitoring Action Center (EMACs) hotlines down to station level and the Pro-Democracy Enhancement program.

Campaigning ways

As early as 7 a.m. yesterday, the public address system installed on tricycles blared in Bulacan as the campaign period began.

“Ang ingay mo (You’re loud)!” a bystander in Hagonoy town shouted at the driver, who turned out to be his high school classmate.

The driver stopped his tricycle and told his 12-year-old son to hand out small pieces of paper with his name on it to his high school classmate and the people around.

“Pare, isama na ninyo ako sa iboboto ninyong kagawad,” he asked, as he exchange high fives with the bystanders.

While this candidate went solo in his campaign, some banded together like a real political party even if the barangay elections are considered non-partisan.

They went from one house to another, complete with volunteers in tow.

Jojo Maclang of the election office in San Ildefonso town told The STAR that the current campaign has all the trappings of the May 2007 elections.

He said that before the campaign period began, he conducted a series of seminars with prospective candidates to teach them what to do during Election Day.

“I told them to ask their relatives to serve as watchers during election time but some candidates said they would rather have other people do the job to get additional votes,” Maclang said.

He also noted the increase in the number of candidates this election compared to the 2002 barangay elections.

Some election officials said it might be due to the increasing disappointment of local residents with incumbent barangay officials.

Others cited the pay that comes with the elective post, ”Malaking hanap buhay din iyan.”

Rannie Deocampo, a 42-year old businessman running for barangay councilor in San Sebastian, Hagonoy, believes that whatever problem might arise on the barangay level, it is always values-related.