PNP monitoring 7 election hotspots as rivalries heat up

MANILA, Philippines - Director General Jesus Verzosa ordered yesterday the Philippine National Police to monitor seven provinces nationwide for election-related violent incidents in the 10 months before next year’s elections.

These provinces are Nueva Ecija, Abra, Masbate, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao and Sulu.

Verzosa said the escape and surrender of former Masbate City vice mayor Florencio Fernandez, convicted killer of former Masbate lawmaker Moises Espinosa, could be linked to the rising political fever.

“Election fever has begun in these areas so our police should be ready,” he said in Filipino.

“We are mapping out plans to make sure that the coming elections will be honest, peaceful and orderly.”

Verzosa said gun control could be one of the measures to minimize election-related violence.

The government has allocated P5 million for rewards in the campaign against loose firearms, he added.

Verzosa said the PNP will also ask the Commission on Elections to refrain from issuing exemptions to the election gun ban to minimize election-related violence.

The PNP is pushing for a bill seeking to increase penalties for illegal possession of firearms, he added.

Another bill bats for imprisonment for firearm holders who fail to renew their firearms licenses, Verzosa said.

In Pampanga, Central Luzon police director Chief Superintendent Leonilo de la Cruz said he might include Bataan and Bulacan to the list of election hot spots in Central Luzon.

“Rivalry among political families there has remained intense,” he said.

De la Cruz said despite political controversies in Pampanga, he did not expect violence in the province during next year’s election. “Kapampangans become among the noisiest during elections, but they do not turn violent,” he said.

De la Cruz said he expected the government to offer amnesty to holders of unlicensed firearms anytime starting this month up to October.

“This will enable us to know how much arms are in the hands of people and also enable us to identify those who would fail to renew firearms registered before,” he said.

Following the amnesty, police will run after owners of loose firearms in Central Luzon, De la Cruz said. – Cecille Suerte Felipe, Ding Cervantes