CAR, particularly Abra BSKE peaceful
POLICE recorded generally peaceful Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections in the entire Cordillera region including the province of Abra which was rocked by several shooting incidents prior to the October 30 polls as well as the withdrawal of dozens of BSKE candidates, the Journal Group learned yesterday.
Cordillera Police Regional Office director, Brigadier General David K. Peredo said they recorded no major incidents during the October 30 elections in the whole region and credited it to their effective security deployment plan and joint strategic initiatives with the Armed Forces and the Commission on Elections.
The top Cordillera police official said they only recorded five validated Election-Related Incidents in Abra during the period as security forces effectively stopped the presence of armed groups and loose weapons thru stepped-up patrols and checkpoints.
Peredo said that to counter all kinds of threats to the BSKE in the region, they established a total of 16,357 Comelec-supervised checkpoints and intensified the implementation of other law enforcement operations regionwide.
As a result, he said that they recorded 25 cases of violation of the gun ban which led in the arrest of 23 persons found violating the prohibition on the unauthorized carrying of firearms and other deadly weapons nationwide from August 29 to November 28 this year.
He added that 19 firearms were recovered from the violators who are now facing charges for violation of the Omnibus Election Code and Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulations Act of 2013.
On the other hand, the official said his men apprehended five violators of the liquor ban ahead of the polls. All are facing charges for violation of Comelec Resolution No. 10924.
Peredo said 5,536 Cordillera policemen secured secure voting precincts, major thoroughfares, transportation hubs, and other places of convergence before, during and after the polls.
The Cordillera policemen were assisted by soldiers from the Armed Forces and personnel from the Bureau of Fire Protection, Department of Education, Comelec and other volunteers in keeping peace in the region during the period.
Peredo said they also activated their Regional Election Monitoring and Action Center to monitor the BSKE progress as part of their effort to ensure a safe, accurate and fair elections.
A Media Action Center was also co-located at the REMAC to serve as a liaison of communication among public information officers, stakeholders and the press in disseminating information regarding the BSKE 2023.
A day before the polls, Peredo joined Philippine National Police chief, General Benjamin C. Acorda Jr. and Comelec chairman George Erwin M. Garcia in assessing the situation in Abra.
During their meeting with local police, military and poll officials, the three were told that the situation in Abra was ‘manageable’ due to the presence of uniformed soldiers and policemen.
During the actual polls, Peredo personally inspected all Police Assistance Desks and voting precincts in different schools around Baguio City and Benguet to ensure the welfare and readiness of the local police in the performance of their duties and responsibilities.
The official extended his gratitude to the citizens of Cordillera for fully cooperating with their heightened security measures. He also lauded the members of the armed se4vices and their other volunteers and stakeholders who patiently performed their duties to secure the safety of the public.
“After the peaceful conduct of the BSK election, PRO Cordillera remains committed to ensuring peace and order in the region. We are also accelerating our security measure and sustaining our deployment plan for the upcoming holiday season,” Peredo said.
Prior to the actual polls, Acorda said they monitored the massive withdrawal of candidates in Abra with the Comelec confirming that at least 122 BSKE bets backed out from the polls in the province where there were 14 barangays listed in the ‘Yellow Category’ for election areas of concern.
Acorda said they learned that some highly-respected elders in Abra had initiated negotiations with aspirants after filing their candidacies as part of their culture.
“There were some negotiations. They came up with some resolutions or decisions to avoid any further confrontations among the relatives or members of the residence in the locality,” the top cop said.
He also confirmed there were also some recorded threats against candidates that resulted in their withdrawal.
Areas in yellow category are those that have a “history of election-related incidents in the last elections, possible employment of partisan armed groups, and the occurrence of politically motivated election-related cases that had been previously declared under the control of the Comelec.
