FOR PEACEFUL, ORDERLY ELECTION

THE Unity Walk and Peace Covenant Signing of candidates for the midterm election in Pangasinan was deemed successful with the show of support from  95% of listed candidates for positions of governor, vice governor, congressmen, board members, mayors, vice mayors and councilors last Sunday morning at the Pangasinan Police Provincial Office (PPPO)  ground in Lingayen.

P/ Sr. Superintendent Wilson Lopez thanked all the candidates who joined to show their support for clean and peaceful election. “We have shown here that Pangasinenses are united and disciplined to ensure a peaceful and honest election,” he said.

However, Lopez pointed out that there are eight identified areas of concern in Pangasinan as validated by the COMELEC, PNP and AFP, namely Sto. Tomas, Bayambang, Urbiztondo, Rosales, Sual, Balungao, Pozorubio and Dagupan City because of violence reported in past elections and recently.

Meanwhile, Lopez said elements of Pangasinan Police will implement tactical deployment where their presence are mostly needed as precautionary measures to prevent violence during the campaign period and on election day.

He reiterated and clarified that in identifying the eight places the authorities did not mean to predict that violence will erupt in those places but simply that there were incidents of violence in the past involving deaths of candidates and a number of supporters.

Lopez said the first days of the effect of gun ban in the province proved effective and it will be sustained with intensified checkpoint operations provincewide to ensure orderliness.

Meanwhile, lawyer Alipio Alonzo Castillo, provincial election supervisor, viewed the huge turnout as a positive indication that that this year’s election will be peaceful and orderly.

Castillo echoed the sentiments of Lopez about the identification of the eight areas of concern while adding that there are more preventive measures that will be employed by the Comelec, PNP and AFP in areas where intense political rivalries are already noted to help prevent violence in those areas.

P/ Chief Superintendent Romulo Sapitula, regional police director, told the PUNCH that his office will closely monitor all towns and cities not only those included as areas of concern because emotions can be expected to run high as election day nears.

He said that while known private armed groups (PAG) in the region have been dismantled there’s still the possibility that some candidates will continue to organize new PAGs. 

Sapitula added that all the security details of incumbent officials have been recalled and only officials with security threats continue to have police security detail of two policemen.

He warned that any candidate found to have employed civilian armed security will be arrested.

AFP Brig. Gen. Henry Robinson of the AFP Northern Luzon Command said his unit will provide augmentation support to PNP deployment. (Nora Dominguez)

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