By Ric Sapnu/PNA
CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga — The first day of campaigning by local candidates in Central Luzon came and went without any incident.
Brig. Gen. Joel Napoleon Coronel, director of the Police Regional Office-3 (PRO3), said on Sunday that all provincial and city police offices in the region reported that no violent incidents took place in their areas of responsibility at the start of the campaign period for local aspirants last Friday.
“I am glad to note that here in Region 3 no single incident report relative to the campaign of our local candidates was received by authorities,” Coronel said in a media interview.
He said checkpoints jointly manned by the Philippine National Police and Commission on Elections are positioned in strategic areas in Central Luzon to deter possible hostilities among candidates and their followers.
“We continuously implement our security preparations to ensure that the duration of the campaign and election period will be smooth sailing. We aim for a zero incident these mid-term elections,” the PRO3 director said.
Coronel also disclosed that he has ordered provincial and city police directors to monitor local candidates to ensure their security.
“Our police will continue to conduct checkpoints until the end of the elections campaign to ensure that no lawless elements will harass candidates in the region,” he said.
