INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
ANGELES CITY — At least 38 people were arrested Sunday for allegedly violating the liquor ban being enforced for the safe conduct of this year’s Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) in Bulacan and Pampanga.
In a statement, the Police Regional Police Office 3 (PRO3) said the 25 individuals were arrested in different parts of Pampanga’s Lubao town between midnight and early morning of October 29.
PRO3 Director Brig. Gen. Jose Hidalgo Jr. said eight people from San Jose Del Monte City and five from Guiguinto town, both in Bulacan province, were also apprehended by lawmen for the same offense.
“Since the enforcement of the liquor ban commenced, our diligent efforts have led to the apprehension of 38 violators in a span of merely six hours,” he said.
READ: Manila stretches liquor ban from day before BSKE until All Souls’ Day
Hidalgo said he had ordered police offices in Central Luzon to strictly implement the liquor ban which will end after the election day.
He stressed that selling, distributing, serving, buying or consuming liquor is strictly prohibited during the liquor ban.
The PRO3 has deployed some 10,000 police officers for the 2023 BSKE.
READ: BSKE 2023: 187,600 cops deployed as PNP goes on full alert from October 29
“To optimize deployment and bolster the security presence at polling precincts, police personnel typically assigned to desk duties and educational pursuits have been reassigned to polling stations. This strategic move will significantly increase the number of individuals responsible for safeguarding the integrity and safety of the Election Day proceedings,” the PRO3 said in an earlier statement.
The PRO3 has around 13,000 uniformed members all over Central Luzon.
The Commission on Elections imposed a liquor ban on the eve of election day – October 29 – until election day on October 30.
READ: PNP: Almost 3,000 barangays flagged as security concerns for 2023 BSKE