/PNA
MANILA — The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) on Friday assured it is closely monitoring the situation in Metro Manila even if no election hotspot has been identified in the region.
“Based on our monitoring, wala pa tayo nakikita (We have not seen any hotspot so far). Well, in some cases, mainit na labanan (the rivalry is intense), we (still) cannot consider (these areas as) hotspots. Rest assured the security forces and other agencies in the joint task force will maintain peace and order of the election,” NCRPO Chief, Director Guillermo Eleazar, said in a press conference with officials of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the Joint Task Force-NCR on security preparations for this year’s polls at the Quezon City Sports Club.
He said they continuously conduct intelligence monitoring to curb any security threat.
Eleazar has ordered the five police district directors in the metropolis to monitor political developments in areas where election-related violence had occurred in the past.
The five districts covered by the NCRPO are the Manila Police District (MPD), Quezon City Police District (QCPD), Northern Police District (NPD), Southern Police District (SPD), and Eastern Police District (EPD).
Eleazar said since the start of the election period on January 13, checkpoints were set up under the supervision of the Comelec and more checkpoints will also be randomly set up.
As of 6 a.m. Friday, there were 988 checkpoints set up in strategic areas in Metro Manila, which resulted in the death of two suspects, arrest of 12 persons, and confiscation of 12 firearms, 52 deadly weapons and 229 ammunitions.
Eleazar said the PNP will intensify its security operations in places of convergence — trains, airports, seaports, malls, shopping complexes and transport terminals — where people tend to congregate.
At the same time, he also appealed to the public to cooperate with the police.
Campaign period for senatorial candidates and party-list groups will start on February 12 while the campaign period for local bets will start on March 29.
