Unity marches for peaceful polls in Cordi, Pangasinan
BAGUIO CITY—The police led unity marches in the summer capital and Mt. Province on Saturday to express the communities’ commitment to a peaceful election in May.
Chief Supt. Benjamin Magalong, Cordillera police director, led the march joined by civil society groups and candidates at Burnham Park, the city leg of the nationwide Unity March for a Safe and Secure Election 2013.
A unity walk and a prayer rally were held in the Mt. Province capital of Bontoc. Church leaders, school officials and candidates marched from Mt. Province State Polytechnic College to the town plaza. They were joined by police, military and Commission on Elections officials.
The police also scheduled unity marches in Mt. Province’s 10 towns yesterday.
In Pangasinan, Supt. Christopher Abrahano, Dagupan City police director, said the city’s unity walk would take place on Feb. 8, followed by an ecumenical prayer meeting.
Article continues after this advertisement
Divine intercession
Article continues after this advertisement“The police hope to instill in election stakeholders the power of divine intercession, in aspiring for a secure and safe elections, and to drumbeat the significance of the May 13 elections and herald the start of the election period,” a Philippine National Police memorandum said.
The police also intensified gun control activities in Central Luzon.
Three police searches armed with court-issued warrants in Pampanga and Nueva Ecija yielded firearms on Friday, the regional police said.
The police’s Oplan Paglalansag in Barangay Telapayong in Arayat, Pampanga, arrested Arman Maniago, a suspected member of a partisan armed group. Recovered from Maniago were three handguns loaded with bullets and two grenades.
In Barangay Candating, also in Arayat, the police’s campaign arrested brothers Romeo and Renato Gutierrez. Authorities reported recovering from them five rifles and handguns and bullets for M-16 rifle.
Guns seized
In Nueva Ecija, the police’s search in the house of Mauricio Baltazar, barangay captain of General Luna in Carranglan town, yielded a grenade launcher, three handguns and assorted bullets for rifles and pistols.
“These efforts are part of the government’s efforts to ensure safe and fair elections,” said Chief Supt. Edgardo Ladao, Central Luzon police director.
He said police conducting random checkpoints since Jan. 13 had confiscated 30 firearms. Reports from Yolanda Sotelo and Vincent Cabreza, Inquirer Northern Luzon, and Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon
