Ex-President Benigno Aquino to get police security when he votes in Tarlac

Tarlac policemen participated in a “day of prayer” that was held at the provincial police headquarters on Saturday (May 12), two days before the May 14 village and Sangguniang Kabataan elections. Photo by Maria Adelaida Calayag /INQUIRER

CAMP MACABULOS, TARLAC — The police will provide security for former president Benigno Simeon Aquino III, even if he didn’t ask for any, when he goes out to vote on Monday (May 14) in the village and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, a top police official said on Saturday (May 12).

“I spoke to the Tarlac City police chief and he says the former president always participated in elections. We will give him security even though he had not asked,” said Senior Supt. Ritchie Medardo Posadas,

Tarlac provincial police director, after leading a “day of prayer” at the Tarlac police headquarters here.

He said 1,620 police officers would be deployed to secure 480 polling centers which would open at 7 a.m. and close at 3 p.m.

About 800,000 voters are expected to cast their ballots here on May 14.

Lawyer Fernando Cot-om, Tarlac election supervisor, said the policemen can vote if they are assigned near their polling centers, provided they do so within 30 minutes so they could  resume their duties.

“We expect the elections in Tarlac to be peaceful,” Posadas said, in spite of 13 villages under the election watch list.

The police intervened on Thursday (May 10) when candidates and their supporters started a brawl in Barangay (village) Anupul at Bamban town in Tarlac. The two groups have since been appeased, Posadas said.