BY VICTOR REYES and GERARD NAVAL
IN the run-up to the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) to be held on Monday, the PNP yesterday said it has recorded 23 confirmed election-related incidents (ERIs) since the 90-day election period started last August 28.
PNP spokeswoman and Public Infor¬mation Office (PIO) chief Col. Jean Fajardo said there were 40 ERIs recorded during the conduct of the 2018 barangay and youth elections.
Fajardo said that as of 12 a.m. Thursday, it has recorded 129 suspected ERIs nationwide.
However, only 23 of these ERIs were validated to be related to the BSKE, while 77 were determined to be not related to the conduct of the October 30 polls.
Fajardo said police probers have yet to classify the remaining 29 incidents.
Fajardo said five of the validated ERIs occurred in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), four in Cordillera Administrative Region, and three each in Eastern Visayas and Northern Mindanao.
Ilocos region, Bicol and Central Visayas recorded two confirmed ERIs each, while the Calabarzon and Zamboanga Peninsula each reported one confirmed election-related incident.
“In the last BSKE in 2018, we recorded 40 confirmed election-related incidents. As of now, we recorded (23) so far, so if we are going to compare, there is a 45 percent decrease,” said Fajardo.
Fajardo said eight people died while seven were injured in the ERIs.
She said one case has already been filed in court, nine others are still with the Prosecutor’s Office, while the rest are still under police investigation.
Fajardo said the PNP has sent additional police personnel to areas where there are validated ERIs “to make sure we are able to maintain peace and order and ensure peaceful and safe elections in these areas.”
On Wednesday, Fajardo said some 795 additional policemen arrived in BARMM to ensure peace in the region.
Fajardo said the PNP will be on full alert starting today. Some 187,000 personnel have earlier been deployed to various areas nationwide to secure the elections.
As of October 20, the Comelec has placed 361 barangays under the “red” category in its list of Areas of Concern for the BSKE.
It has also placed under it control the province of Negros Oriental and Libon in Albay due to increased security concerns in the two areas.
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) said it is ready for Monday’s elections, specifically for some 31,125 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) who are eligible to cast their votes.
During the “Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon” public briefing, BJMP spokesman Chief Inspector Jayrex Joseph Bustinera said some 29,000 of the PDLs will be casting their votes at BJMP jails, which will be designated as “special polling precincts,” while the rest will be escorted by jail personnel to their respective barangays to cast their votes.
Bustinera said the polling centers will be manned and supervised by Comelec personnel.
“So far, the BJMP already conducted a dry-run, and we are very ready to assist (the PDLs) so they can vote in the coming elections,” said Bustinera.
In a statement, Bustinera said BJMP chief Director Ruel Rivera ordered personnel at BJMP facilities nationwide “to ensure a secure and conducive voting environment” in their premises or while escorting PDLs.
“The BJMP in this historic move underscores the commitment to uphold democracy and inclusivity in the electoral process, ensuring that even those in detention can have a say in shaping their communities,” said Bustinera.
The Philippine Coast Guard has also placed its district, stations and sub-stations on heightened alert effective last Wednesday in connection with the BSKE and the observance of All Souls’ Day and All Saints’ Day.
PCG spokesman Rear Adm. Armand Balilo said at least 20,000 PCG personnel are on alert for the elections and for “Undas.”
Balilo said the number can be increased to 30,000 personnel, if needed.
He said PCG personnel are ready to assist in the transportation of ballots especially in far-flung areas.
“We are supporting the AFP and the PNP in the effort to ensure the integrity of the coming Barangay and SK elections,” said Balilo.
COMELEC CONTROL
Elections chairman George Garcia said the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is considering placing Cotabato City under its control due to recent election-related violent incidents in the area.
“Currently, it is already in the Red Category (Areas of Concern). But we are now considering placing Cotabato City under Comelec Control,” said Garcia, adding: “What happened there is really saddening.”
Last Monday, three people, including two candidates for barangay kagawad, were killed, while two others were badly hurt when gunmen attacked them while putting up campaign posters in a residential area in Cotabato City.
On the other hand, Comelec – Deputy Executive Director for Operations Rafael Olaño said the poll body does not see the need to place Abra under its control.
Olaño said they have personally checked the situation in the province, where around 250 candidates have withdrawn their candidacies in the BSKE.
“The withdrawals were not forced withdrawals. What happened was actually their elders talking to candidates to avoid battling one another. That has been their tradition,” Olaño said in an interview with reporters.
News reports earlier said the 250 BSKE bets in Abra withdrew allegedly after getting threats from their political rivals.
“As of now, we really don’t see the need to place Abra under Comelec Control,” Olaño said.
In a related development, the Comelec said that it has imposed a curfew in Negros Oriental, which is already under the poll body’s control.
In a resolution issued by the Regional Joint Security Control Center VII (RJSCC-8), a curfew will be in effect in the entire province beginning Saturday, from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. It did not mention until when the curfew will be in effect.
“No person shall be allowed to stay outside her or his respective home, dormitory, condominium building, or other similar building used as dwelling between the hours of 10:00 p.m. until 4 a.m. the following day, except those who, by the nature of their work, are required to travel outside their dwellings, including but not limited to, BPOs, health workers, those engaged in the business of transporting goods or services normally done during these hours, provided, that proof of employment or other similar supporting documents are presented to the authorized law enforcement,” the RJSCC-8 resolution stated.
According to Olaño, the move to impose a curfew is part of the poll body’s efforts to ensure the efficacy of the imposition of Comelec control in the province.
“This is just to preempt or to deter any action that may occur and to ensure that the conduct of elections there will be peaceful,” said Olaño.
OPERATIONS CENTER
Meanwhile, Garcia on Thursday announced t hat the poll body has opened its operations center that will closely monitor all matters related to the BSKE. The center will start operating 24/7 beginning Saturday.
“We have already authorized the overtime of all our personnel starting Saturday. This is where we shall monitor all activities related to the elections, such as the distribution of election paraphernalia to each municipality, polling places, delays in the start of voting, etc,” said Garcia.
“We will also monitor through the operation center any irregularities, such as vote buying,” he added.
The poll chief said will entertain calls from the public, especially those who want to report problems and irregularities on Election Day.
“We are open. Our hotlines are in the Comelec website. We are open, especially when it comes to the issue of vote buying,” he said.
Garcia said he expects the Operations Center to be open until Tuesday.
“We will be open until we have completed all proclamations nationwide, and until all the election paraphernalia have been brought back to the municipal or city treasurers,” said Garcia.
Garcia on Thursday hinted at the possible involvement of a local government official from Malabon City in the alleged vote buying activities caught in Navotas City but involved individuals registered in Malabon City.
“It happened in Navotas City but the 200 individuals present there are not from Navotas, but rather from Malabon,” he said. “Therefore, what we are investigating is the possible involvement of officials or candidates in the area of Malabon.”
The poll chief said local officials and other individuals will be held liable once it is proven that they are involved in vote buying.
“One need not be present in the activity. Even if you are not there but your involvement in vote buying can be connected and proven, you may face charges also, whether you’re a candidate or not,” said Garcia.
“We must keep in mind that vote buying may be committed in conspiracy. It is not just the one present buying votes but also those behind them. If we can trace them, they will also be held accountable,” he added.
For the moment, however, Garcia refused to reveal the name of the local officials they are investigating until everything is ascertained.
On Wednesday, Navotas City Election Officer Gregorio Bonifacio related that an alleged vote buying act was caught at the Mega Sardines Warehouse located in M. Naval Street in Barangay San Jose, Navotas City.
The report stated that Maribel Eugenio Policarpio, from Prosperidad St., Tugatog, Malabon City, was caught in the act of distributing envelopes with money worth P300 to P500 inside to some 200 registered voters of Malabon.
Garcia warned all local officials against being involved in vote buying activities for the BSKE. “For local officials, you can endorse or campaign for your candidates. But don’t get involved in vote buying because that is prohibited,” he said.
DOJ ASSISTANCE
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said state prosecutors will report to work on Monday for the BSKE as he emphasized the important task of state prosecutors in every municipality, city and province during elections.
Remulla said state prosecutors, aside from assisting in the prosecution of election-related offenses, also serve as chairpersons of Election Board of Canvassers in local government units.
“Ang bawat siyudad at probinsiya, ang chair ng BOC ay ang ating mga prosecutors kaya naka-duty sila (Our prosecutors sit as chairpersons in the BOC in every city or province so they are on duty),” Remulla told reporters in a chance interview.
“May katungkulan kaming tingnan ang sitwasyon pag ganung eleksiyon kaya standby po lahat ng ating mga piskal (It is our duty to oversee the conduct of elections that is why fiscals are on standby),” he said.
The DOJ chief also pointed to a memorandum inked with the poll body last month as part of the latter’s “Kontra Bigay Program,” where the Comelec tapped the DOJ and the National Prosecution Service to address election-related offenses, including vote buying.
Remulla called on prosecutors to ensure that they properly coordinate with law enforcement officers in the filing of election-related cases to ensure they have a strong case. — With Ashzel Hachero