THE police force is 100 percent ready for Monday’s national and local elections, PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil said yesterday.
He also said that they have not monitored any threat to undermine the May 12 midterm elections.
Marbil said all security measures, including the deployment of some 163,000 policemen across the country, are already in place to ensure that the polls will be orderly and peaceful.
“We’re 100 prepared for the elections… Our people are already on the ground,” he told reporters during an interview at the PNP national headquarters at Camp Crame.
“Our goal is zero violence. Our goal is (to have an environment) where people can vote freely. We want to make sure that this election will be honest, orderly and peaceful,” he also said.
Marbil said checkpoint operations throughout the country will be intensified.
“We will be stricter in our checkpoints and chokepoints. You are going to feel that. Our policemen will be stricter,” he said, as he ordered police commanders to ensure that elections in their respective areas will be peaceful.
He warned that charges may be filed against police officials if they fail to ensure that polls are orderly and secure in their jurisdictions.
“There will be reckoning for people who will not be, in any way, effective. If there will be violence, we’ll put accountability to the people on the ground. We will make sure these people, our commanders, will be held accountable if there will be violence,” he said.
Marbil also reiterated his directive to policemen to be apolitical in the elections, saying that any policeman who will be found to be involved in partisan political activities will be discharged from the service.
In a later statement, Marbil said: “Let this be clear: our commitment is to serve the Filipino people — not politicians. Our duty is to uphold the law and protect the sanctity of the vote.”
To policemen, Marbil said: “There must be no violence, no killings in the days leading up to, during, and after Election Day. The PNP’s duty is to guarantee honest, orderly and peaceful elections.”
Meanwhile, Elections chairman George Garcia reported that about 70 percent of the Dangdangla Elementary School in Bangued, Abra, which will serve as a voting center, was gutted by fire early yesterday morning.
“About 70 percent of the polling place was hit by fire. We still don’t know the cause of the fire, and if it was intentional since we are close to Election Day,” Garcia said in a media forum.
Despite this, the poll chief said the midterm elections will still be held in the unaffected areas.
“While the main building was destroyed by the fire, two buildings remain unaffected and operational, and will be used as priority polling place and Administrative/Holding/Storage Area,” he said.
“There are also two unaffected classrooms that we can use and where people can vote,” he added.
Garcia said they want to show to the perpetrators that the Comelec and the voters are not terrorized by their actions.
“Let us show them that no fire can scare us and prevent us from pushing for change,” he said.
Garcia said the voting center only has one clustered precinct with 992 registered voters.
The Comelec said the Final Testing and Sealing of the one automated counting machine assigned there is expected to proceed as soon as electricity is restored and the facility is declared safe by the Bureau of Fire Protection.
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY
Meanwhile, Garcia also reported that one individual died while two others were injured after the F2 Logistics truck used to deploy election paraphernalia in Bukidnon fell off a cliff in Upper Puerto, Cagayan de Oro City.
“The incident was really unfortunate. We are just thankful that the poll paraphernalia have already been delivered in three areas in Bukidnon before that happened,” he said.
He said the poll body will provide assistance to the affected personnel.
“We also have that responsibility to help those helping us perform our duties. Expect the Comelec to provide them some form of assistance,” he said.
PDLs
The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) said about 31,000 out of some 150,000 inmates or persons deprived of liberty are qualified to vote on Monday.
BJMP spokesman Supt. Jayrex Bustinera said around 30,000 of the qualified voters will cast their votes at some 400 jail facilities which had been classified as special polling precincts.
He said the other 1,000 inmates will be escorted outside jail facilities to vote in community polling precincts.
“The entire BJMP is on alert to perform its duties during the elections,” Bustinera said during the “Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon” public briefing.
In a phone interview, Bustinera said there is no court order allowing Kingdom of Jesus Christ pastor and senatorial candidate Apollo Quiboloy to vote in Davao City.
Quibiloy is detained at the Pasig City Jail on charges of human trafficking and sexual abuse.
“(Pastor) Quibiloy is registered in Davao and we have not received a court order allowing him to vote, to go outside the jail (to vote). So as of this time, he cannot vote,” Bustinera said.
On whether Quiboloy is allowed to cast his vote at the Pasig City jail, Bustinera said: “He is not registered there (in Pasig City). He is registered in Davao.”
Bustinera stressed Quiboloy cannot be escorted by the BJMP personnel to Davao to cast his vote due to lack of a court order.
“One thing is clear: As of this moment, there is no court order allowing him to vote (in Davao). So no court order, no voting,” he said. – With Gerard Naval
