PNP to form task force vs private armed groups

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine National Police (PNP) will create a task group to track down private armed groups that have been blamed for violent incidents in previous elections.

PNP chief Director General Ricardo Marquez said the PNP is to begin election operations on Jan. 10, start of the election period as declared by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

The Comelec will also impose a nationwide gun ban from Jan. 10 to June 8, the election period for the May 9 presidential polls.

“We are ready. We have published our election operations plan two months ago and we have met with the Comelec and AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines). We’re going to have a simultaneous start on Jan. 10 to kick off our election operations,” said Marquez.

Last October, Interior Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento said the PNP is monitoring about 71 private armed groups with the onset of campaign season in the run-up to the May polls.

He said even members of the administration’s Liberal Party would not be allowed to maintain private armies.

Sarmiento, a former congressman who served as LP secretary general, went on leave from the party after President Aquino appointed him as head of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, replacing LP standard-bearer Manuel Roxas II.

“We will not tolerate erring LP candidates if caught with loose firearms and if they are found maintaining private armed groups and violate any laws of the land,” he said.

He said the DILG has started coordination among the concerned agencies involved in providing security during the national and local elections.

Last month, Sarmiento said the PNP began validating possible areas of concern or hot spots to thwart election-related violent incidents.

Marquez has been leading the PNP in establishing feedback mechanism with the Comelec to help ensure peaceful and orderly conduct of the May elections.

The PNP chief said initial validation indicated a downtrend in the number of election hot spots but the PNP continues the effort to prevent election related violent incidents.

“The director for intelligence has the list already divided in three categories, and I think there are seven priority provinces,” he said, adding “in 2013 we had 15 priority provinces.”

Sarmiento said the process of validation is meant to update the status of the political situation in individual localities.

He said the traditional hot spots include Nueva Ecija, Abra, Masbate, Eastern Samar and a certain area in Cebu, but the PNP is now validating the present situation in those areas.

Election surveys

Election watchdog groups yesterday expressed concern that voters are being influenced by surveys on candidates that are usually paid for by politicians.

The Legal Network for Truthful Elections (Lente) yesterday warned voters that they are being unduly influenced by surveys.

Lente executive director Rona Ann Caritos told a media forum that most surveys, however, comply with the requirements in the Fair Elections Act, but still the voters should be reminded that these surveys are commissioned.

“Surveys cost millions of pesos and someone is paying for them. No matter how much survey (companies) say that they are independent, they have a client that pays millions and, of course, that client has influence on the questions,” she added.

Caritos said voters should not rely on who are leading in the surveys to make their choice of candidates.

“There is really a danger that surveys may influence voters because we Filipinos are betting on winnable candidates,” she added.    

According to Eric Alvia, executive director of the National Citizen’s Movement for Free Elections, voters should not let themselves be influenced by surveys meant only to guide candidates and political parties.

Alvia said that surveys “are only snapshots at a given point in time” and should not be the basis for how voters choose their candidates.

Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting representative Antonio Villasor maintained that voters should be wary of surveys because they are “self-propelled.”  – With Sheila Crisostomo