MANILA – The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Wednesday directed all its units to intensify security preparations in a bid to curb attacks against local government officials ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
“On the spate of killings of local chief executives, the PNP will intensify early preparation and operations on security measures to ensure safety and security nationwide. This is to anticipate ahead of time as the 2019 Mid-Term Elections is about to happen in May next year including intensifying police visibility, random checkpoints, and focused-law enforcement operations to prevent commission of election-related violence,” PNP Director General Oscar Albayalde said in a statement Wednesday.
The PNP chief directed all territorial units to go “hammer and tongs” against gun-for-hire syndicates and private armed groups.
“We see normal increasing trend of attacks against local officials and candidates in the light of the 2019 Mid-term Elections. With that, I have directed unit leaders to coordinate with their LCEs (local chief executives) in threat assessment and countermeasures to ensure their safety and security,” Albayalde said.
Meanwhile, in the course of solving the recent killings of local chief executives steered with various motives, the PNP has acted on 18 cases of slain mayors and vice mayors nationwide, resolving 13 killing incidents as of Oct. 2.
The PNP National Investigation Task Group (NITG) said 11 cases were solved and two cases were cleared including the killings of Trece Martires City, Cavite Vice Mayor Alex Lubigan and General Tinio, Nueva Ecija Mayor Ferdinand Bote.
Suspects have been identified and charged for these violent attacks.
The NITG is the highest PNP body for national level coordination of all investigative efforts by PNP units looking into violent attacks committed on elective local officials.
The Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM), which is the head of the NITG, bared that there are still five killings under investigation, including the recent ambush of Mayor Alexander Buquing of Sudipen, La Union on Monday.
Albayalde earlier ordered the creation of a special investigation task group (SITG) for thorough investigation on the killing of Buquing.
Buquing was killed in a shooting incident that happened at around 6:45 p.m. Monday along the-provincial road in Barangay Cadali, Bangar, La Union.
The mayor, his wife, driver Boni Depdepen and PO2 Juanbe were in a Toyota Hi-Lux (AEZ-114) when unidentified gunmen onboard a white pick-up with unknown plate number fired upon their vehicle.
The mayor and Juanbe succumbed to multiple gunshots wound on different parts of their bodies. They were rushed to Ilocos Sur District Hospital where they were declared dead on arrival.
Depdepen was also declared dead on arrival at the Lorma Medical Center in San Fernando, La Union.
The PNP is now providing security to Buquing’s wife, Vice Mayor Joy, the lone survivor in the shooting incident. (Christopher Lloyd Caliwan/PNA)
