THE PNP has reprimanded the policemen who were documented taking down campaign posters of presidential candidate Vice President Leni Robredo and her running mate Sen. Kiko Pangilinan in Santiago town in Isabela, police spokesman Col. Jean Fajardo said yesterday.
In a radio interview, Fajardo said the policemen are also under investigation by the PNP for possible lapses in the discharge of their duty in so far as the May 2022 elections is involved.
“They were already reprimanded and being investigated for shortcomings and lapses on their part,” said Fajardo, adding: “If there were mistakes, lapses (that were committed), the PNP is ready to accept these and improve our efforts in the implementation of election laws.”
The PNP and the Armed Forces have been deputized by the Commission on Elections to ensure peace and order during the conduct of the elections, including addressing potential threats in election hotspots.
Fajardo said under its agreement with the Comelec, policemen are only supposed to provide security to Comelec personnel in the conduct of its “Operation Baklas” drive against unlawful campaign materials.
Videos and photos of policemen pulling down campaign posters in Santiago, Isabela went viral on social media platforms last week as the Comelec kicked off the Baklas drive.
Citing initial investigation, Fajardo said the policemen were supposedly requested by an election officer to help in tearing down the campaign posters due to lack of Comelec personnel.
“We want to clarify that the policemen did not remove (the campaign posters) on their own. The information we received is that the election officer requested the help of our policemen because they (Comelec) were lacking personnel,” she said.
“They (election officer) requested assistance and our policemen who were there at that time just heeded the request,” she added.
Some Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) personnel were also seen helping in the removal of the campaign posters in Isabela. The BFP has yet to issue a statement on the involvement of its men in the incident.
“As far as the policy is concerned, their (presence) is limited to security coverage,” said Fajardo.
But Fajardo cited a gray area in the policy, noting that the PNP, like other agencies of government, are supposed to be at the disposal of the Comelec “when the need arises.”
“That is the gray area because we have to understand that that the PNP is one of the deputized agencies of Comelec. We will try to know if we can refuse (a request of the Comelec in tearing down illegal campaign posters) being one of the deputized agencies because we might be accused of dereliction of duty (if we refuse). That is what we are going to clarify,” she said.
Fajardo said Comelec and PNP officials are due to have a meeting “to clarify the leaps and bounds of the authority of the PNP especially on the actual removal and tearing down of illegal campaign materials.”
Fajardo assured the public that the PNP is “professional, apolitical and unbiased.”
‘PRIVATE SPEECH’
Amid the controversy surrounding the Operation Baklas of the Comelec, the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (Lente) yesterday said speeches of private citizens promoting specific candidates may be considered as poll-related materials.
In a radio interview, Lente policy consultant Carlo Africa said he believes that the Comelec may still have the power to regulate such “private speech” of non-candidates if they are related to specific candidates.
“If you are a private citizen and you have private speech that relates to voting of a candidate, it can be considered as election paraphernalia. (As such), it will fall on the regulatory powers of the Comelec,” Africa.
Africa explained that such a power of the Commission is anchored on the principle of giving “equal opportunities” among candidates.
“(This) relates to encouraging equal opportunities among candidates and upholding the election laws on spending limits and campaign finance. When violated, it will create an environment wherein the ordinary Filipino will not be able to run and campaign competitively in an election,” he said.
Last week, the camps of presidential candidates Robredo and Sen. Panfilo Lacson assailed the Comelec’s operation, particularly on taking down campaign materials posted on private properties.
In addition, Robredo’s camp has already expressed that they are considering legal action to challenge the Comelec’s actions.
For its part, the Comelec stressed that it is part of their mandate to bring down campaign materials that are out of size and out of place.
The Comelec also assured that their field personnel had sought the permission to enter private properties, where oversized campaign materials are posted. — With Gerard Naval
