Escudero says he will never abandon Poe

TACLOBAN CITY, Jan. 8 (PNA) – Vice presidential candidate Sen. Francis Escudero assured he will never abandon his runningmate, Sen. Grace Poe despite disqualification issues hounding the presidential bet.

Poe is running for president in the May 2016 elections and her candidacy is still on hold pending the final decision of the Supreme Court on her citizenship and residency.

Escudero and Poe graced a forum attended by multi-sectoral group at Alejandro Hotel in this city Thursday afternoon.

Poe’s supporters claimed that Escudero cannot be trusted and would later abandon her.

They were with Partido Galing at Puso senatorial candidates Pasig City lone Representative Roman Romulo and Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno.

“Unknown to many of you here, Senator Grace and I and our respective families are long-time friends for a decade now. We have journeyed together as individuals and in our political careers,” Escudero added.

"I won’t let other political parties and enemies destroy that friendship," he said.

Escudero served as spokesman for her father, the late action star Fernando Poe Jr, who ran for president in 2004.

Poe was even the veil sponsor of the Balesin wedding of Escudero and actress Heart Evangelista last year.

In recent poll surveys, Poe is leading the presidential race ahead of the kick off for the campaign of national candidate on Feb. 9.

Aside from the forum in Hotel Alejandro, the tandem also visited the orphanage SOS Children’s Village in Diit village and attended a students’ forum at the Leyte Normal University. (PNA)
JMC/SQM/VICKY C. ARNAIZ

Poll-related violence still thrives in Calbayog City despite top cop’s order to stop it

CALBAYOG CITY, Dec. 31 (PNA) – A political supporter in this city was hurt in a shooting incident on Wednesday, two days after Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Ricardo Marquez personally ordered local cops here to stop violence.

The police identified the victim as Jojo Taduyo, 28, whose brother, a village official in this city, was slain earlier this year.

The suspects, who were riding a motorcycle, shot the victim on Wednesday afternoon along the main road in Carayman village.

Gunmen, however, failed to fatally hit the victim because an unidentified policeman, who was reportedly present at the crime scene was able to return fire to the suspects.

According to a police report, the victim is still confined in a hospital for treatment.

The shooting incident came two days after Marquez personally ordered the local police here to stop election-related violence and neutralize private armed groups (PAGS).

Marquez and Interior and Local Government Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento were in the city to meet civil society groups to tackle political killings committed by PAGS.

Samar now is one of the six provinces in the country placed by the police under election watch list for 2016 polls.

In the 2010 elections, police managed to neutralize the activities of the “Moloboco” and the “Montealto” private armed groups, however, remnants of such according to the police remain and reportedly now being maintained by some identified politician in Samar.

PNP said they have the list of some members of the group and they are now taking steps to neutralize their activity.

Marquez noted that elections in Samar come with a high price and more often bloody. “Things get violent as desperate politicians cling to power by using private armies during election.”

Four months ago in Victory village, this city, five members of Regulacion family, including children, were brutally killed in what would be the most gruesome election-related violence in Samar.

Since January 2015 to present, the city police here recorded 23 killings.

“Failure to address private armies puts political opponents and ordinary civilians at continued risk from powerful local politicians,” Marquez added.

“The police must be beyond the influence of politicians in their respective areas and need to enforce the full force of the law without fear or favor,” he added.

Meanwhile, Calbayog City Mayor Ronald Aquino said Samar is mourning for peace. The latest shooting victim is reportedly the mayor’s supporter.

“We are against any form of terroristic act here and we are obliged to be against it together,” Aquino said. “This is an attack on our unity and peace.”

Aquino urged the people to be vigilant and to be very watchful to those people responsible for the killings. (PNA)
RMA/SQM/JAZMIN BONIFACIO

Elite cops up for deployment in Samar for 2016 polls

CALBAYOG CITY, Samar, Dec. 30 (PNA) – The Philippine National Police (PNP) will deploy Special Action Force (SAF) Company in Samar province by January next year to help ensure peace and order ahead of the 2016 polls.

PNP Director General Ricardo Marquez, during his visit in this city on Tuesday, said the SAF Company composed of at least 88 personnel will be deployed in the city.

According to Marquez, the SAF as well as the CIDG will serve as a support unit to the existing local police force.

Marquez added that there will be no conflicts on the functions with other police forces in the area, as the commander of the Regional Special Operations Task Group will be the one to look into their deployment.

“The SAF and the intelligence group will serve as the support units to the local police force, the Commander of the RSOTG will make their deployment,” Marquez explained.

The top police official said the priority deployment of SAF aims to address election concerns, run after private armed groups, among others.

The PNP has declared five provinces in the country, including Samar as an area of concern for the upcoming elections.

However, Marquez clarified that the declaration was not due to the reported killings in the city, but based on the general situation of the province.

The national police headquarters asked their field commanders to make an assessment of factors that have an impact on elections like presence of private armed groups (PAGS), politically-motivated violence during the past two elections, political rivalries, and the existence of loose firearms.

“It is not just Calbayog, but the entire province of Samar is under the watch list,” Marquez said. “We also closely look at former private armed group members that were reported before,” he added.

Samar province, particularly this city was in the limelight in the past months due to shooting incidents allegedly perpetuated by private armed groups.

PNP Calbayog recorded 43 shooting incidents this year from January to mid-December. In the entire 2014, there were 48 shooting incidents in the city. In the past two years, some of the victims were village officials and political leaders.

In October, the PNP launched the Regional Special Operations Task Group – Samar headed by Sr. Supt. Isias Tonog.

Since October, the group has already conducted nine operations in coordination with the Philippine Army, leading to the arrest of seven alleged private armies. Tonog is hopeful that PAGS will be neutralized before May 2016.

“Actually at this time, there are no reported incidents involving private armed groups like what happened in Victory village in Calbayog and Caugbusan village in Gandara. I hope that with our operation, they will be captured or surrender to authorities,” Tonog added.

Marquez said that they are dedicated to solve the problem. He also urged residents to help them in their efforts to curb the killings in the province.

“We do not entertain the illusion that we can solve the problem, but we are committed and dedicated to solve these problems,” the official told the police officers here. (PNA)
JMC/SQM/JENNIFER SUMAGANG – ALLEGADO