Map of Lanao del Sur. INQUIRER.net
Policemen who will serve as special election inspectors in Lanao del Sur on May 24 will be wearing body cameras to ensure transparency and provide additional evidence against saboteurs.
According to Maj. Gen. Valeriano de Leon, director for operations of the Philippine National Police and deputy commander of the special task force for the 2022 national and local elections, body cameras “would be greatly useful not only for transparency on the part of PNP personnel but also in any legal offensive against those who would dare to sabotage or influence the results of the special polls,”
Those ordered to wear body cameras will not only include the election inspectors, but also those who will secure the perimeter of polling precincts and those tasked to catch and arrest vote buyers and flying voters.
“All accessible body-worn cameras in the surrounding regions will be deployed to the area so that even higher-level commanders will be able to monitor those being used by our personnel on the ground through a real-time video feed,” De Leon said on Thursday.
The PNP distributed a total of 2,696 body cameras, which were deployed to 171 police stations across the country. The figure only accounted for 8 percent of the 34,832 units to fully equip all police stations and support units in the country.
More than 800 police and military personnel will be deployed to secure the special elections in the 12 barangays of Tubaran on May 24.
The special elections will be held after the Commission on Elections (Comelec) declared failure of elections in three towns in Lanao del Sur province on May 9: 12 barangays in Tubaran—Tangcal, Datumanong, Wago, Giarong, Bagulangan, Malaganding, Gadongan, Riataran, Pagalamatan, Mindamunag, Paigoday-Pinbatan and Metadicop; Barangay Pindolonan in Binidyan; and Barangay Ragayan in Butig.
Tubaran was among the 28 areas in the country that were declared under the control of the Comelec.
PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo earlier said they have not received any information of serious threats in Lanao del Sur and the authorities were “continuously coordinating with the contending parties” to ease the intense political rivalry in Tubaran town, whose local elections remain a tight race among its contenders.
READ: PNP to start using body cams by April — Palace