Eleazar orders monitoring of armed groups, NPA for peaceful 2022 polls

File photo of the New People’s Army (NPA) Guerilla Front 21 with their high-powered firearms and the communist flag along the mountains of Marihatag town in Surigao del Sur. PHOTO BY ERWIN MASCARIÑAS (file)

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Guillermo Eleazar on Thursday ordered all area commanders nationwide to tighten the monitoring of private armies and other armed groups to ensure the holding of peaceful elections next year.

Elections in the country will be held on May 9, 2022.

“Kasama sa paghahanda na dapat tutukan ng ating mga kapulisan ay ang monitoring at accounting hindi lamang ng mga private armed groups kung hindi pati na rin ang mga loose firearms na maaaring gamitin sa pananakot at pagsabotahe upang impluwensyahan ang resulta ng halalan,” Eleazar said in a statement.

(Part of the preparations that the police will be doing is the monitoring and accounting not only of the private armed groups but also of loose firearms which could be used to intimidate, sabotage, and influence the results of the elections.)

Following the order, PNP area commanders are expected to conduct a review on the presence of firearms with expired licenses and other loose firearms in their respective areas of responsibility, said Eleazar.

Eleazar added that the PNP will also be coordinating with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to secure areas where the New People’s Army (NPA) operates and where they allegedly extort money from politicians in exchange for a “permit to campaign.”

“We have to make sure that they would be denied of this illegal activity so it is really important that we start early to study and anticipate any threat to the elections next year,” Eleazar added.

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/MUF