PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) reminded the policemen assigned in this province to render security duties and remain impartial during the elections.
Lawyer Jossil Macute, provincial election supervisor, issued the reminder Wednesday during the send-off ceremony for the 409 policemen tasked to secure the May 13 elections.
Of the 409 police personnel, 351 are from the Police Regional Office-9 (PRO-9) headquarters while the remaining 58 from the Provincial Police Office.
Macute likened the election to an intense basketball game that will turn “bloody and chaotic if the referee stops being fair and favor one team over the other”.
“It is not enough that we do not favor the candidacy of any person but we should not suppress or block the candidacy of any candidate. In short, we have to be neutral at all times,” Macute said.
“Do not single out any candidate in the implementation of laws and never allow yourselves to become the personal armed bodyguard of any person, may it be politicians, private citizen or even by your own superior officers,” he added.
Meanwhile, Col. Redentor Retusto, provincial police director, said he was confident that policemen in the province will remain neutral and the complaints of partisanship lodged against police personnel here have been properly addressed.
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