Wednesday, February 21, 2007 Police official urges men to intensify info gathering on 'campaign fees' By Ruby P. Silubrico
POLICE Regional Office 6 Director Wilfredo Dulay has ordered all police chiefs in Western Visayas to intensify the gathering of information on the New People's Army's collection of permit to campaign fees from political candidates.
Though Dulay revealed that no formal complaint has been filed yet against the communists for their extortion activities, he told his men not to be complacent.
He said that such extortion activity would especially happen in remote and NPA-infested areas.
"We have received information that the rebels engage in extortion through the disguise of issuing a permit to campaign on several politicians. This was based on the last elections," Dulay said.
With this, Dulay asked the cooperation of the candidates to support the police's campaign against PTC.
Dulay also instructed his men to coordinate with the political candidates and encouraged them to request for assistance or security once they would conduct a campaign in areas threatened by the NPA.
"Only through this can we deter the possibility of the NPA's employment of permit to campaign fees during elections," he added.
On the other hand, Iloilo Police Provincial Director, S/Supt Joel Napoleon Coronel, said that in Iloilo province, he has not yet received any complaint from any candidates as regards the rebels' extortion. But he would coordinate with local candidates who were subjected to such in the past elections and tell them not to encourage such activity. (RPS)
