Security agencies to further study areas that need more attention ahead of May polls

TACLOBAN CITY, Jan. 14 (PNA) - The Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Army will conduct a workshop to identify areas that need additional security personnel in preparation for the May 9, 2016 elections.

According to Commission on Elections (Comelec) Regional Director Jose Nick Mendros, the formulation of a security plan was agreed during the first regional joint security control center (RJSCC) conference on January 8.

The workshop seeks to come up with a consensus as to the deployment of police and military personnel in the region relative to the conduct of elections.

The RJSCC has tagged 44 towns as watch list based on the history of previous elections, the incidents involved, and the candidates involved.

Election period started January 10 and will end on June 8. Campaign period for president, vice president, senators and party list starts on February 9 until May 7. Local candidates’ campaign period starts on March 25 until May 7.

The police and army as deputized security personnel of Comelec during elections are mandated to help the poll body in ensuring honest, peaceful and orderly conduct of elections.

Authorities started to intensify their campaign of gun ban by putting up check points in the different entry and exit points in the region. (PNA)
FFC/SQM/LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA/EGR

Ormoc welcomes 50 cop trainees

ORMOC CITY, Leyte, Jan. 14 (PNA) – The Ormoc City police office accepted 50 police trainees coming from the regional office to undergo Field Training Program (FTP) in the city for five months.

The new police recruits will be assigned in police station 1 to undergo practical exercises in various fields of actual police works, according to city police director Sr. Supt. Ferdinand M. Garay.

All of them are set to undergo trainings on basic police patrol, traffic and criminal investigations, including observation in real court proceedings under the professionalized program of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Police Officer 2 Maria Rachel I. Salas, police non-commissioned officer said two Field Training Officers (FTO), one from Leyte Provincial Police Office (LPPO) and one from Southern Leyte were augmented to city police six training officers to handle these FTPs.

These new members of the country’s friendly force are part of the 283 personnel who took oath on July 1, 2015, the first cycle of last year’s recruits.

About 50 of them were assigned in Tacloban City and 83 in Palo town in Leyte.

Mayor Edward Codilla welcomed them at his office as they paid him courtesy visit on Tuesday.

These are part of the 283 new police recruits admitted during the first cycle in 2015. (PNA)
FFC/SQM/ELVIE ROMAN ROA/EGR

Police to disband 131 private armies in Samar

TACLOBAN CITY, Jan. 13 (PNA) – The Philippine National Police (PNP) is stepping up efforts to disband 131 active private armies in Samar provinces in a bid to ensure honest, orderly, and peaceful elections on May 9.

Reports reaching the police regional headquarters show that private armed groups (PAGS) with 158 firearms thrive in Calbayog City and nearby towns within the first congressional district of Samar province. At least 39 of these private armies have warrants of arrest.

The Montealto group based in Calbayog City has the most number of members at 65, followed by the Moloboco group with a force of 44 armed men based in nearby Sta. Margarita town. These two groups are in control of 129 firearms.

Sr. Supt. Brigido Unay, chief of the police regional intelligence division said that 22 private armies are also active in the towns of Matuguinao, San Jorge, and Gandara. These areas have been consistently identified as hotspot during elections period.

Members of private armies have been tagged by the police as behind the recent series of killings in Samar’s first district.

“As the election draws near, utilization of PAGS by unscrupulous politicians are expected. We will conduct sustained police operations, targeting PAGS and armed elements even after the elections period,” Unay said.

Dismantling of private armies is listed as the top priority of Samar police provincial office since last year.

In 2015, the police formed a special team tasked to disband private armies with the help of the military. (PNA)
FPV/SARWELL Q. MENIANO

Region 8 police, army draft 2016 polls security plan

TACLOBAN CITY, Jan. 12 (PNA) – Law enforcement agencies in Eastern Visayas will come up with consolidated security plans to step up preparations for the upcoming May 9 elections.

Lawyer Jose Nick Mendros, Comelec regional director said the plan will be finalized before the campaign period of candidates for national positions on Feb. 9.

“The possible scenario is that the election will be peaceful and we are working hard to achieve that, but we are planning for the worst,” Mendros said.

The Comelec will deputize the Philippine Army, Philippine National Police and other law enforcement agencies to ensure honest, orderly and peaceful elections this year.

The joint security plan, which is based on possible scenarios, will be the basis for the deployment of the army and police to secure the board of election inspectors and voting centers.

Col. Cesar Idio, Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division assistant commander said the military has already drafted their own security plan, but it has to be consolidated with the police.

“Our plan makes sure that the elections will be peaceful, free from violence, and that the people are secured in exercising their rights without intimidation, force, pressure or any violent act, which violate their free will,” Idio said.

Police Regional Director Jose Erwin Villacorte has directed all personnel last week to come up with provincial security plans in consultation with local election officers.

“Setting up checkpoints is just one of the strategies. We need to coordinate our efforts to accomplish other tasks such as dismantling private armies and lawless elements,” Villacorte said.

The Comelec, PNP and the Army recently activated the joint security control centers (JSCC) in the regional, provincial and city levels.

The JSCC, chaired by Comelec, craft and implement a strategy to address all election-related security issues and concerns peculiar to an area.

The joint group is primarily tasked to formulate and implement a plan for “intensified law enforcement and security operations to thwart nefarious activities of criminals targeting loose firearms with threat groups and neutralize private armed groups within respective jurisdiction.”

They are also mandated to accept and process all applications for security detail by candidates for the House of Representatives and local candidates and provide temporary security detail to the concerned applicants for a maximum period of 30 days. (PNA)
JMC/SARWELL Q. MENIANO

DILG chief hurt by hometown’s ‘killbayog’ tag

CALBAYOG CITY, Samar, Dec. 30 (PNA) – Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento admitted that he is personally affected by the recent killings in his hometown, leading others to tag the city as "killbayog."

In an assembly with civil society organizations on Tuesday, Sarmiento emotionally admitted that he was deeply hurt, for he has worked hard to make Calbayog a better city.

Recently, a high ranking official of the province on a national news broadcast tagged Calbayog as "killbayog" due to recent shooting incidents in the city.

“It really hurts thinking that we worked hard to develop and make this place a better place to live in, but it will be tagged with terms that really hurt me, that Calbayog became killbayog,” Sarmiento said.

“For so many years you’ve delivered sales speeches to encourage people to invest in the city, but incidents like this happened,” he lamented.

Sarmiento served as mayor of Calbayog City for nine years, turning it as one of the top performing cities in the country.

He then served as representative for the first district of Samar before he was appointed by President Benigno Aquino III as DILG chief.

According to Sarmiento, from the time he assumed the highest post in DILG, he immediately talked with national top police officials about the peace and order situation of the city and the entire province of Samar.

Sarmiento said he is now in a better position to address the peace and order in the province.

On Tuesday, Philippine National Police Director General Ricardo Marquez joined Sarmiento in visiting the city and attended the PNP Regional Conference, focusing on the peace and order situation in the entire Samar province.

Sarmiento asked the support of his townmates to make Calbayog a peaceful place.

“Let us help one another to bring back peace in our city,” Sarmiento appealed.

“The main reason why we are here with the PNP chief is to address the problem in Calbayog. I know others are already impatient, but we are here to assure you that the PNP and AFP are doing their primordial mission to bring the Calbayog that we know of before without these incidents,” Sarmiento stressed.

Data from Calbayog police office showed that 43 shooting incidents have been recorded from January until mid-December. (PNA)
SCS/JFM/SQM/JENNIFER SUMAGANG–ALLEGADO

Samar gov dismayed over provincial top cop's transfer

CATBALOGAN CITY, Samar, Dec. 4 (PNA) -– Governor Sharee Ann Tan expressed dismay over the recent transfer of Samar police provincial director, whom she described as a “performing cop.”

Tan said that relieving Sr. Supt. Rafael Pelobello might be a setback to the sustainability of their campaign to stop election-related violence.

However, she is hopeful that Pelobello’s replacement, Sr. Supt. Rommel Bernardo Cabagnot, head of the Police Security Protection Group, will be able to match the performance of the former police provincial chief.

The governor lamented that the police official was transferred on November 26 to the general headquarters, four days after he initiated a “one-time, big-time” campaign against illegal drugs in Calbayog, resulting in the arrest of more than 30 people.

“This is my first time that I cried because a police provincial director was relieved. I believe there is injustice. I just hope that there would be sustainable programs now that we have a new provincial director,” Tan said during the closing rite of the 45-day Special Weapons and Armed Tactics training for 20 young police officers on Thursday.

Cabagnot was not present during the ceremony since he has to attend to some unfinished business in Manila.

The governor lauded Pelobello for the synchronized checkpoints and strengthening of Oplan Lambat Sibat introduced by former Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Mar Roxas.

The Philippine National Police installed Pelobello as Samar provincial chief on June 19, 2015.

Tan, who has been supporting the presidential bid of Roxas, said they are very concerned with the recent series of killings in Calbayog City and Sta. Margarita town, involving political supporters.

Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento, a former local official in Samar, said the DILG is committed to preventing election-related violence in Samar.

“There is a standing order to ensure that private armies in Samar are neutralized and to ensure safety of our people there,” he said.

Sarmiento’s brother is running for congressman in Samar’s first district against Calbayog City Councilor Raymund Uy, the governor’s political ally.

“I would not want to comment on something that is political in nature now that I am the DILG Secretary. We’re dealing with government official coming from different political parties. I will have to leave political questions with the party,” Sarmiento told reporters in an earlier interview in Tacloban.

Samar province has been listed as one of “concerned areas” during election period due to its history of violence and the presence of private armed groups backed by politicians. (PNA)
LAP/SARWELL Q. MENIANO