CORDILLERA Police Regional Office director Brigadier General Ronald O. Lee yesterday said he has ordered the transfer of 150 local police with relatives running for elective posts in the May 9 polls amid their effort to ensure a non-partisan police force.

“This is part of our proactive approach to ensure the non-partisan status of all Cordillera police officers and men in full compliance with the directive of Philippine National Police chief, General Dionardo B. Carlos,” the official said.

Brig. Gen. Lee said that the affected policemen have relatives up to the 4th degree of consanguinity who are vying for elective posts in the Cordillera region on the May 9 election.

“This move is to help dispel allegations that police officers are campaigning actively on their relatives and intervening on their behalf. Para maiwasan na rin ang speculations at pagdududa na sila ay tumutulong doon sa pangangampanya sa kanilang kamag-anak,” the Cordillera police director said.

Lee said that the concerned policemen were transferred to other areas outside the cities, municipalities, and provinces where their relatives are seeking elective posts.

He said that the reassignment is temporary and will last until the end of the election period on June 8 or until they were instructed to go back to their previous assignments.

The official also reminded the 9,179-strong PROCOR (Police Regional Office-Cordillera) cops to remain apolitical and vowed to hold accountable any of his personnel who will violate their commitment to stay neutral during the election period.

Brig. Gen. Lee at the same time ordered the deployment of additional mobile checkpoints in strategic parts of the region to help arrest gun ban violators and criminality during the poll period.

“Magdadagdag kami ng checkpoints sa strategic area. Mobile po iyan at hindi po permanent,” he said.

At present, a total of 105 fixed Comelec (Commission on Elections) checkpoints are being manned by the local police in the region with 29 in Abra province, 16 in Kalinga, 15 in Benguet, 12 in Baguio City, and 11 each in Apayao and Mountain Province.

Since the start of the nationwide gun ban last January 9, Cordillera policemen have already apprehended four persons found carrying guns and other deadly weapons without any authority from the Comelec. Two of them were from Abra and one each in Benguet and Kalinga province.

Brig. Gen. Lee said that their strict enforcement of the gun ban also recently resulted in the killing of an armed man in a shootout with Abra policemen who tried to accost him for curfew violation. The suspect fired shots at the officers who are about to accost him prompting the lawmen to retaliate killing him.

According to Comelec Resolution No. 10741, the establishment and operation of Comelec checkpoints, examination of violations of transporting firearms or other deadly weapons, and the employment and engagement of services of security personnel and bodyguards are to be undertaken in relation to the May 9 National and Local Elections.