Eleazar: Metro Manila ‘peaceful, manageable’ ahead of May polls

MANILA, Philippines — National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said he sees no security problems yet in Metro Manila, describing all areas in the region as “peaceful” and “manageable” ahead of the May 13 midterm elections.

“Sa atin kasi ngayon…relatively peaceful ang Metro Manila compared with other regions,” Eleazar told reporters at the sidelines of the National Capital Region-Regional Security Control Center Command Conference in Taguig City on Tuesday.

“I would like to assure the public na wala tayong problema, hindi natin nakikita ang mga threat to any peace and order breakdown or concern para dito sa ating eleksyon…All of the 16 cities and (one) municipality are considered to be peaceful and manageable when it comes to this coming election,” he added.

However, Eleazar said police forces will continue to monitor “election risk factors.”

“Ang ating concern lang ngayon, ituloy lang natin yung mga to check on the election risk factors but wala naman tayong private armed groups dito. ‘Yung mga criminal gangs and our police personnel are doing something to check on these, yung mga loose fire arms naman, tuloy ang ating mga efforts like Comelec (Commission on Elections) checkpoint operations [and] “Oplan Katok,” he said.

READ: Brace for checkpoints, gun ban as election period starts Jan. 13

READ: Note to gun owners: ‘Katok’ cops knocking on your door

Areas of concern

Eleazar, meanwhile, said Quezon City and Pasay City are included in the areas of concern due to recent violence in those cities.

“Meron tayong areas of concern, the five cities (Malabon, Caloocan, Manila, Pasay and Mandaluyong) were declared as areas of concern but eventually na-reduce ng dalawa, Quezon City and Pasay. That is because of the recent violence, the death of a barangay chairwoman running for a congressional seat and then merong nasugatan na barangay chairman naman dito sa Pasay,” he said.

READ: QC barangay chairwoman killed by motorcycle-riding gunmen 

“But basically, naging base lang…yung naipasok sila sa areas of concern because of those parameters. Pero itong kagaya sa Quezon City, hindi naman natin siya nakita na na-prove na confirmed election-related but just the same, kinonsider natin areas of concern. Pero walang reason para i-place sila under Comelec control,” he added.

However, when asked whether there will be security issues concerning the two cities, Eleazar said: Not necessarily.

“Meron kasing mga parameters lang like there are historical data on suspected election-related violence incident kaya siya napasama dun,” he said.

“Pero unlike other regions nga na nagiging main concern is the presence of local communist terrorist group, and then talagang intense political rivalry na hindi naman nae-experience dito sa Metro Manila kaya, masasabi natin na wala tayong nakikitang ganung problema,” he added.

Eleazar also said that a city considered an area of concern will not mean the deployment of more police personnel as the combined military and police personnel will be enough to secure Metro Manila.

“All the districts here in Metro Manila, five districts, with the 38 police stations, we have enough number of personnel para ma-deploy dito. And we are being augmented [and] assisted by [the] Joint Task Force-NCR. So parang labeling lang ‘yun na napasama sa areas of concern because of those parameters. Pero as we can see from what we stand, wala tayong dapat ipangamba, in terms of peace and order dito sa coming elections,” he said.

Earlier, Eleazar said that around 15,000 police officers will be deployed on the day of the elections on May 13.

READ: 15k cops to be deployed in NCR on May 13 elections

Peaceful, credible elections

Meanwhile, NCR Regional Election Director Atty. Temie Lambino said the Comelec, together with the police and military “are still in the process of finalizing the [security plans].”

He added that, while elections in Metro Manila is different from countryside elections in terms of security threats, he said that preparations being done to ensure the safety of the people in NCR will be as intense.

“Kahit na hindi ito katulad nung mga countryside elections no? Mga provinces, where we have hotspots sometimes Comelec control, Manila is the showcase of the election. So if there is a commotion lang or…mga konting suntukan diyan, it would be magnified by the media, makukuha yun. Yun ang naipapakita sa mga television natin, mga social media,” Lambino told reporters.

“So it’s actually the center of attraction, ang National Capital Region, that is why the same intensity, the same passion, what we are doing right now, the same preparation ang ginagawa natin, just to make sure that come May 13, 2019, the PNP, the Armed Forces, the Comelec and all the deputized agencies of the government are prepared not only for peaceful election but a credible one,” he added.

Over 7 million voters from NCR

According to the data from the Office of the Regional Election Director in NCR, there are 7,074,603 registered voters in the said region.

In the 1,710 barangays in NCR, there are 45,010 established precincts, 8,298 clustered precincts and 722 voting centers.  /muf