By Gail Momblan/PNA
ILOILO CITY — The Philippine Army (PA) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) are finalizing security preparations to ensure the safe and smooth delivery of election paraphernalia for the May 13 elections.
“We want to make sure that materials for the election will safely be delivered to regional hubs, to provincial hubs, up to the voting centers,” said Maj. Gen. Rolando Felix, director for Integrated Police Operations (DIPO) Visayas, during the Visayas Joint Peace and Security Coordinating Council Meeting in a hotel in this city on Tuesday.
The AFP and the PNP forces will be designated to provide security in the delivery of election paraphernalia.
Some of the concerns that Felix foresees are unanticipated malfunction of delivery vehicles and weather disturbances.
“We plan on how to address concerns in case the delivery vehicles will encounter problems on the road, or when election supplies are to be delivered in an island and can be obstructed by bad weather condition,” he said.
The security measure on ensuring the safe delivery of election paraphernalia will likewise be conducted after the election when the materials will be returned to the national hub.
Furthermore, the security forces assured that counter-insurgency operations continue despite the election season.
“We have to make sure that whatever the New People’s Army (NPA) is doing will not affect the outcome of the elections,” he said.
Brig. Gen. John Bulalacao, Police Regional Office (PRO) 6 (Western Visayas), also warned that political candidates found using NPA services to harass their political opponents will face sanctions.
“We will be very strict about this. We will make sure that the evidence against them will be strong so that we can file cases against them in court,” he said.