MANILA — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Monday reminded candidates for this year’s Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) not to give in to extortion rackets of communist rebels.
“We advise the candidates and business owners not to give in to the group’s demands and report their illegal activities immediately to the proper authorities like the Comelec (Commission on Elections), PNP (Philippine National Police), and the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” AFP public affairs office chief Lt. Col. Emmanuel Garcia said in a statement.
He added that giving in to their extortion activities will only give the NPAs the means to conduct further atrocities against the government and its constituents.
“Legal ramifications are also waiting for those who will be proven to finance the CPP-NPA and its terror activities,” Garcia said.
The AFP earlier said it is ready to secure the village polls, noting that it has yet to monitor any security threat on the polls.
Over 90,000 AFP personnel have been deployed in this year’s village and youth polls. (PNA)
