PNP to relocate cops who have links with Eleksyon 2022 bets

The Philippine National Police on Sunday said it will relocate personnel who have connections with aspirants in the May 9, 2022 polls.

PNP Chief Police General Dionardo Carlos said that the move is part of enforcing a crackdown on cops allowing themselves to be hired as personal bodyguards of politicians.

According to him, the Philippine police will keep watch on unauthorized bodyguards in the coming national and local polls, as the PNP enforces a crackdown on the proliferation of illegal firearms

"Tatanggalin ho natin yan, aalisin natin sa mga lugar kung saan sila (police) maaaring magamit," said Carlos in an interview over Dobol B TV, in reaction to reports that some police officers are being recruited by private armed groups to become bodyguards for politicians.

(We will remove them in their current assignments, they will be deployed to areas where they won't be used as body guards for the elections.)

"Lilipat po sila kung saan sila ay hindi po maaaring, sabihin na natin, sila ay maka-impluwensya. Ang aming gagawin kapag  kamag-anak ng pulitiko, automatic aalisin namin sa lugar na 'yan, lilipat namin sa malayong malayo," he added.

(We will reassign them in areas where they can't be, so to speak, an influence. What we will do is that if they are relatives of politicians, we will have them automatically relocated.)

He also assured the public that the PNP will never tolerate police officers being involved in unauthorized private armed groups (PAGs) during elections.

Under the Commission on Elections' (Comelec) Resolution No. 10728, no one, including the candidates or any public officials, are allowed to employ or engage the services of security personnel or bodyguards unless authorized by Comelec, through the Committee on the Ban on Firearms and Security Concerns. —LBG, GMA News