Abra candidate killed on eve of PNP chief’s visit

SAFEKEEPING PNP Chief Director General Ricardo Marquez inspects one of the high powered firearms surrendered for safekeeping in Abra province. LEONCIO BALBIN JR. / CONTRIBUTOR

CAMP JUAN VILLAMOR, Bangued, Abra—Saying he wished to see an election day as “just ordinary day, without police checkpoints and violence,” Director General Ricardo Marquez, chief of the Philippine National Police, on Wednesday inspected election preparations for this province, notorious for political killings and an area of concern in the May 9 polls.

On the eve of Marquez’s visit here, a candidate for council in this capital town was murdered. Crispin Magwellang, 49, was shot dead by seven armed men at a wedding in Malibcong town.

“I wish election [day] would soon become an ordinary day. We would not need election checkpoints. We would not need candidates to sign peace covenants,” Marquez said.

He said other countries do not declare election day a holiday. In the United States, for example, many people cast their ballots after work.

Marquez described his visit here as “part of our singular objective to help create an environment that would be conducive to the holding of orderly and peaceful elections.”

He was accompanied by top senior police officers, including PNP Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management Police Director Benjamin Magalong, who supervised the 2013 elections in Abra province when he served as Cordillera police director.

Weapons surrendered

Marquez was shown a hundred weapons owned by local officials and residents that were voluntarily surrendered for safekeeping during the election period.

Chief Supt. Ulysses Abellera, Cordillera police director, told Marquez that his office had arrested 84 violators of the gun ban since the start of the election period. Six of these violators were from Abra. Leoncio Balbin Jr., Inquirer Northern Luzon contributor