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Wednesday, December 17, 2003
Comelec, PNP directors meet as gun ban starts
By Roberto L. Bacasong and Claudine C. Dumalag
* The provincial and city police will meet in a meeting with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Iloilo City Monday to discuss details on the gunban and other election-related prohibitions
THE election period for the synchronized 2004 local and national elections officially starts Monday with the filing of certificates of candidacy and the implementation of the gunban.
The provincial and city police will meet in a meeting with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Iloilo City Monday to discuss details on the gunban and other election-related prohibitions.
Senior Supt. Vicente Ponteras, provincial police director, said they would intensify the conduct of checkpoints in all entry and exit points in Negros Occidental.
Ponteras added as of Sunday, there has been no violator of the gunban and other prohibitions set by the Comelec yet.
"People won't dare to bring their firearms anymore because they know that we are conducting checkpoints," he said.
He added that chiefs of police in the different cities and municipalities provincewide will conduct checkpoints based on their assessment of the peace and order situation in their respective areas of jurisdiction.
"They are given the prerogative to decide on the need to conduct checkpoints. We will uphold the implementation of the gun ban every election period to fight any form of criminalities," Ponteras said referring to the directive from PNP Chief Dir. Hermogenes Ebdane.
Senior Supt. Mario Avenido, Bacolod City police director, also ordered police station commanders to strictly impose the order from the higher headquarters.
Avenido said those who are exempted from the imposition of the gun ban are only the city and regional directors, among others.
He added policemen will be exempted only if they applied for exemption at the Comelec.
Filing of COCs
Meanwhile, Intaco Rambit, registrar of the city's Comelec, said the filing of COCs will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday.
Rambit added that based on their experience, candidates, specifically those running for councilors, file their COCs on the first day but most of them flock to Comelec during the last day of the filing of COC, which is on January 2.
He said they allow the filing of COCs until midnight of January 2.
Access fee
Ponteras appealed to candidates not to give money to extortionists, specifically the communist rebels.
He disclosed that he received reports that some running candidates in southern Negros receive extortion letters coming from the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA), asking for access fees that will allow the candidates to campaign in their stronghold areas.
"I am appealing to all running candidates to report whatever extortion letters they receive so that we can act on them," said Ponteras.
Carapali Lualhati, national commander of the Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade also disclosed that they already received several complaints from the municipal mayors and councilors in some areas in Negros that the NPAs were asking for an access fee of P100,000.
(December 15, 2003 issue)
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