
Dismantle PAGs at all costs, cop chiefs told
ALL police commanders have been given until March 31 to dismantle active or potential Private Armed Groups (PAGs) in their areas or be replaced by other officers who can do the job, Philippine National Police chief (PNP), General Rommel Francisco D. Marbil warned.
The ultimatum was given ahead of the May 12 National and Local Elections when the PNP chief ordered a more aggressive campaign against PAGs and loose firearms.
Gen. Marbil particularly wants the neutralization of three identified Active PAGs and five Potential PAGs before the end of March as he sees no reason for concerned commanders not to dismantle them as they have already been identified.
The PNP chief also wants to address the possibility that these PAGs could be used to harass the rival of their employers or even the voters.
The official said Central Luzon, Central Visayas and Western Mindanao have been identified as the three regions were three Active PAGs remain in existence while the Potential PAGs were monitored in Ilocos-Pangasinan, Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon and Eastern Visayas and Bangsamoro Administrative Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Although these PAGs have no monitored activities yet, the PNP said they cannot discount the possibility that they would be used to intimidate and harass rivals of their bosses and even voters in their areas.
Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo, the concurrent Police Regional Office 3 director, said she has ordered the Nueva Ecija police director to ensure they would dismantle a reported Active PAG in the province.
She said she gave the instruction shortly after she assumed as PRO3 director two weeks ago.
The official said members of the group have been placed under close surveillance ahead of the May 12 polls.
However, she said that they need sufficient evidence and witnesses against these PAGs since they cannot just arrest anybody without a valid case.
She explained that PAG members must be caught in the act of committing illegal activities and not arrested merely on the basis of a document listing them as members of an armed group.
The official said she has ordered the strict monitoring of police personnel who will be found to be working for the mayor too during the election period.
Gen. Marbil said that active policemen who will be found to be in cahoots with candidates will now be tagged as belonging to the so-called ‘goons’ of bets who must be neutralized by the police force regardless of their rank and position.
During the May 2022 presidential and national and local elections, police arrested the said mayor and six others for reported gun ban violation following a standoff with a rival mayoralty candidate.
However, they were eventually ordered released by the provincial prosecutor for lack of probable cause.
The Nueva Ecija police then reported that seized from the mayor and his group were five semi-automatic pistols, one 12-gauge shotgun, one M-16 Armalite rifle and dozens of assorted live ammunition.
However, the provincial prosecutor issued a resolution which said that the search made against the accused were ‘violative of their constitutional rights against unreasonable seizures.”
The official said that since the start of the election period last January 12 when the PNP started enforcing a gun ban, they have recorded ‘zero Election-Related Incident’ and they are praying and hoping the generally peaceful situation nationwide would continue.
As of last Saturday, more than 330 violators of the Comelec-imposed nationwide gun ban have been apprehended by the police force, majority of the offenders civilians.
Also confiscated by the police were 3357 firearms, including 94 pistols, 147 revolvers, 1 rifle and 6 shotguns.
The PNP Public Information Office headed by Colonel Randulf T. Tuaño said that police are also investigating five suspected election-related incidents since the start of the polling period.
Other gun ban offenders arrested include 2 foreign nationals, 1 appointed government official, 2 members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, 10 security guards and 2 other law enforcement officers.
Since January 12, nearly 70,000 Comelec-supervised checkpoints have been implemented by the police force.
Gen. Marbil said that police personnel manning checkpoints are under orders to strictly observe Police Operational Procedures and ensure that human rights of motorists and the rest of the public will be fully observed.