SAF troops on standby for election security —Eleazar

Published September 30, 2021 01:41 PM By JOVILAND RITA, GMA News

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Police General Guillermo Eleazar on Thursday ordered the Special Action Force (SAF) to prepare for its possible deployment during the election period.

In a statement, Eleazar said he directed SAF director Police Major General Felipe Natividad to ready his men who may be assigned in areas with political rivalry and history of election-related violent incidents.

“Inatasan ko na rin ang Director, SAF na maghanda sa posibleng immediate deployment sa mga lugar na sa tingin namin ay maaaring maging security concerns dahil sa mahigpit na political rivalry,” he said.

(I also ordered the Director, SAF to prepare for the possible immediate deployment in areas that might be considered as security concerns due to intense political rivalry.)

The Commission on Elections earlier said the the election period

will start on January 9, 2022 and end on June 8, 2022. Gun ban is in effect for the entirety of this period, which means bearing, carrying or transporting of firearms and other deadly weapons, unless authorized in writing by the Comelec, is prohibited.

He ordered all regional directors to intensify target hardening measures and security adjustments following the three attacks on politicians.

On Wednesday, the police said a grenade was thrown at the ancestral home of House Deputy Speaker and Cagayan de Oro City Representative Rufus Rodriguez.

Aside from this, a town councilor of Liloy, Zamboanga del Norte died in an ambush while a bodyguard of a vice mayoral candidate in Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Maguindanao survived a gun attack, the PNP added.

“The Philippine National Police commits to protect and defend our electoral process at all cost because we believe that the reign of violence and dishonesty during our electoral process is no democracy at all," Eleazar said.—AOL, GMA News

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