POLICE chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil yesterday said the PNP wants the upcoming national and local elections to be the country’s “most peaceful” electoral process.
To achieve its goal, Marbil said they are focusing their efforts to stop the use by scheming candidates and groups of the three Gs, or guns, goons and gold, and by clamping down on the spread of “fake” news during the campaign.
The PNP chief made the remarks at Camp Crame during the signing and launching of the “100 Days Operational Activities and Solidarity Pact” for the 2025 midterm elections.
“We want a specific target. We want to make sure that 2025 will be the safest election,” he said during the ceremony which was attended by representatives from the Commission on Elections and the Armed Forces, among others.
“This election is not only us but all of us, (even the) religious sector. It is a shared accountability for a fair election,” he added, pointing out that the PNP has prepared for the 2025 polls as early as last year.
Marbil said the purpose of the 100 Days Operational Activities is “for us to be aware, to ensure, that our preparation for the elections is right.”
Meanwhile, Armed Forces chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr, in a message read by AFP vice chief Lt. Gen. Jimmy Larry Larida, said the military is taking “seriously” its responsibility to keep the elections peaceful, honest and credible.
Brawner, in his message, said “security is not just the job of soldiers and law enforcers.”
“It is a shared duty of every stakeholder here today. By working together, we ensure that every Filipino, from bustling cities to the most remote barangays, can exercise their right to vote free from fear or coercion,” he also said.
He added the solidarity pact affirms the military’s “collective commitment to fairness, respect, and to ensuring that every vote counts.”
Brawner said the military is one with other agencies as “champions of democracy” and committed that they will work together “to safeguard the integrity of this electoral process.”
“Let this election be remembered not just for the results, but for the way we upheld democracy with responsibility, dignity, and with an undaunted and compromising resolve to protect the voice of the Filipino people,” Brawner said.
In an ambush interview, Brawner reiterated the military’s commitment to “peaceful and secure” elections.
“The Armed Forces of the Philippines will help in terms of making sure that our polling centers are secure, and we will also help in dismantling PAG, the private armed groups,” he said.
Brawner said the AFP has called off its initial plan to pull out some units in Basilan to help secure the elections in other areas following the January 22 ambush of Army soldiers in Sumisip town that led to the death of two soldiers and wounding of 12 others.
The attack was perpetrated by lawless elements and members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Pursuit operations are ongoing against the lawless elements involved in the attack.
“Because of what has happened, we’re no longer pulling them out. The units will remain in Basilan,” he said.
As to the involved MILF rebels, Brawner said “we are following the peace mechanisms.” The MILF has signed a peace agreement with the government in 2014.
Brawner said the military has lodged a protest against the MILF members who attacked the soldiers who were providing security detail to members of the United Nations Development Program.
“We are protesting their involvement in the ambush of our troops who were conducting a legal operation. They (soldiers) were securing and escorting UNDP officials who were planning development projects in the area,” he said.
Meanwhile, Comelec chief George Garcia said the poll body will utilize the Amoranto Sports Complex in Quezon City to hasten the verification of official ballots to be used in the elections.
In a media forum in Manila, Garcia explained that the National Printing Office (NPO) does not have enough space for the verification process.
“Therefore, in order for us to maximize the verification efforts, we will need a bigger space. The Quezon City government is lending us the entire Amoranto Stadium for free,” he said.
The poll chief said preparations are already underway for the verification activities in the sports facility.
“We have ordered the procurement of the needed materials so that we can immediately begin the verification activities there,” said Garcia.
On Tuesday, Garcia said the Comelec was concerned over the slow phase of the verification process as compared to the actual ballot printing of ballots.
He said the Commission is looking at hiring around 250 to 300 individuals to increase their roster of 800 verifiers, while also considering tapping the nearby National Irrigation Administration or the Amoranto Sports Complex to host the voting machines used for the verification of ballots.
As of February 4, the Comelec reported that 12,721,925 ballots have been printed.
This includes 6,221,459 ballots printed by Miru and 6,500,466 ballots produced by the NPO. – With Gerard Naval
The running total means that 17.64 percent of the 72,107,420 ballots have already been printed.
The Comelec said 59,385,495 ballots will still have to be printed until April 14.
For Miru, it still needs to print 30,628,419 ballots, while the NPO must be able to print 28,757,076 more ballots.
The Comelec is looking to complete ballot printing by April 14. – With Gerard Naval