MANILA, Philippines – Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Oscar Albayalde on Monday stressed that police officers assigned at checkpoints shouldn’t be blamed for the broken Commission on Elections (Comelec) seal of one of the vehicles used to deliver election materials.
A photo of a broken Comelec seal attached to an election materials delivery vehicle recently made rounds on social media.
Albayade, said that it is “impossible” that police officers in checkpoints are the ones responsible for the damage since they are informed that they are not allowed to tamper election materials, including those carried by delivery vehicles.
“Unang-una, alam na alam ng ating mga pulis na kung ang iche-checkpoint nila ay election paraphernalia hindi na po siguro pabubuksan yan lalo na kung selyado,” Albayalde said in a press briefing.
“I’m sure it’s not the police who will ask you to open these things because this is not authorized for us to [check]. Wala yan sa authority namin para pabuksan yung Comelec materials o equipment o kung anumang mga election paraphernalia,” Albayalde added.
Albayalde said Comelec and the forwarders tasked to deliver the election materials are the ones who should be questioned regarding the issue.
“I think it’s up to Comelec o kung sino man ang nag-deliver ang tanungin natin dyan kung ininspect ba, binuksan ba,” Albayalde said, adding that PNP is tasked with protecting the materials and not damage them.
“In fact kami ang nagbabantay dun para hindi ma-alter, hindi magalaw ang mga election materials na yan in the different hubs,” Albayalde said.
Albayalde underscored that forwarders even request for assistance from the PNP in delivering the election materials.
“Sometimes even, nagrerequest pa nga sila ng escorts for security reasons especially so sa bandang Mindanao… ang mga forwarders especially sa critical areas, they ask for police escorts. It’s very impossible na pulis ang magpapabukas niyan,” Albayalde said.
Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez clarified that the seal attached to the delivery van was the only thing that was tampered and that the election materials inside the vehicle remained secured.
Jimenez said that the damaged seal was “accidental.” /gsg
READ: Ballots sent to Pasig not tampered – Comelec