PHILIPPINE National Police Officer-in-Charge (PNP-OIC), Lieutenant General Vicente D. Danao Jr. on Saturday underscored the PNP’s commitment to resolving all election-related incidents or ERIs recorded in the country ahead of the May 9 national and local elections.

Speaking in his behalf, PNP Public Information Office chief, Brigadier Gen. Roderick Augustus B. Alba said that all concerned police units are still conducting investigation and follow-up operations to identify, arrest, and prosecute the people behind these poll-related incidents.

“The PNP is committed to [resolving] all election-related violence recorded and verified with our police stations/units. This is integral in our prime goal to secure the election and to run after those who wage violence before, during, and after the polls,” Alba said.

So far, the PNP has validated 16 ERIs from January 9 to last May 8, four of them in the Ilocos-Pangasinan region; five in Central Luzon; four in Western Mindanao; one in Northern Mindanao; and two in the Cordillera region.

The 16 validated ERIs were among the 75 incidents nationwide from January 9 to June 8.

As of press time, police are still validating 21 suspected ERIs, while 42 have been confirmed as non-ERIs.

Among the validated ERIs is a shooting incident in Magsingal, Ilocos Sur last May 7, which left four dead and four injured due to a gunbattle between supporters of two mayoralty candidates who have been locked up in a “bitter” feud.

Police Regional Office 1 (PRO1) Director Brig. Gen. Westrimundo Obinque said that arrests have been made in connection with the shooting incident and a thorough investigation is still ongoing to identify the other persons involved.

Police have arrested over 3,000 gun ban violators and confiscated more than 2,400 firearms that could have been used to disrupt the peaceful and orderly elections since last January 9, said PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo.

“If we compare ‘yung mga validated election-related incidents to 2016 and 2019 elections, mas mababa itong 16 so far na naitala natin. With respect sa gun ban violators at confiscated firearms, more than 50 percentang naibaba don sa mga naaresto natin. This is good indicators, this is good numbers,” she said.

Col. Fajardo pointed out 133 election-related violent incidents in 2016, while there were 60 in 2019.

Lt. Gen. Danao earlier said that although the May national and local elections has ended up “peacefully”, the job is not over for the 225,000-strong police force which will continue securing 107 towns and 15 cities previously declared as “election areas of concern” (EAC) until the counting of votes cast is over and winners have been proclaimed.

The new top cop said they will continue to remain on full alert until the end of the election period on June 8, and the nationwide gun ban is lifted by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

At present, police and military troops are tightly watching the following towns of Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur which have been placed under Comelec control: in Maguindanao: Buluan, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Datu Piang, Mangudadatu, Pandag and Sultan Kudarat; in Lanao del Sur: Marawi City and the municipalities of Maguing, Tuburan and Malabang.

Security troops have also tightened their guard in Pilar, Abra, and the province of Misamis Occidental, which were also placed under Comelec control.

Under Comelec Resolution 10757, an area may be placed under Comelec control if it has the following circumstances: history of/or current intense rivalry among contending parties.

Such rivalries could motivate people to engage in violent acts; Incidents of politically-motivated violence involving aspirants/candidates and other supporters; violence may be facilitated by the employment of Private Armed Groups (PAGs); and serious armed threats posed by the Communist Terrorist Groups (CTGs), and other threat groups.

The other threat groups include the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), Abu Sayyaf Group, Maute Group, and other analogous threat groups as may be declared by the competent authority or other paramilitary forces, private armies or identifiable armed bands widely perceived to have committed terrorism, fraud or other election irregularities and threaten or disrupt the holding of free, peaceful, honest, orderly, and credible elections in any political division, subdivision, unit or area.

The strict police security measures in the so-called EACs are part of the government effort to ensure an honest, peaceful, and orderly May 9 national and local elections.

The top cop said they are fully partnering with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in their effort to secure the areas known for their history of violent poll-related violent incidents and intense partisan political activities in the past two elections. By Alfred Dalizon