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Eleazar orders PNP to start security preparations for Eleksyon 2022
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Police General Guillermo Eleazar on Thursday directed all unit and area commanders to start security preparation for the 2022 elections.
In a statement, Eleazar said he has also instructed police personnel to monitor and account private armed groups and loose firearms that could be used for intimidation and sabotage of poll results.
“Kasabay ng mainit na usapan sa eleksyon sa susunod na taon, inatasan ko na ang lahat ng ating area commanders na umpisahan na ang paghahanda upang matiyak ang malinis at maayos na halalan sa ating bansa,” he said.
(Amid the discussion about the elections next year, I directed all our area commanders to start the preparations to ensure clean and peaceful elections in the country.)
The PNP said its intelligence community and commanders are expected to monitor and conduct review on the presence of firearms with expired license and other loose firearms in their areas.
Eleazar ordered special attention to the presence of armed groups based on the data from the previous elections.
In June, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said they would identify election hotspots
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Private armed groups usually emerge during election periods to produce funds for campaigns and threaten political rivals, according to Año.
In West Mindanao, the military is monitoring around 126 potential private armed groups and addressing seven similar groups.
Aside from West Mindanao, Año said they are also monitoring potential emergence of PAGs in Northern Luzon, Eastern Visayas, and Western Visayas
The police will also start coordinating with the Armed Forces for election security in areas with high presence of armed groups, especially the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and related groups.
According to the PNP, these groups have been accused of extorting funds in exchange for access in areas where they usually operate.
Politicians allegedly give money to these groups for permission to campaign and assurance that the candidates will not be harassed.
“We have to make sure that they would be denied of this illegal activity so it is really important that we start early to study and anticipate any threat to the elections next year,” Eleazar said. —Joviland Rita/KBK, GMA News