PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) Chief Oscar Albayalde on Monday, November 26, said they were validating information that some politicians in the Mindanao region are working with criminal syndicates and the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in order to raise campaign funds.
“We are continuously validating reports of the active collusion by some local politicians with organized crime groups engaged in kidnapping for ransom, presumably for fund-raising purposes. Reports of this nature have been monitored in some parts of Mindanao particularly in known areas of operation of kidnapping gangs,” Albayalde said in a press conference in Camp Crame.
“These are all based on the intelligence information that we gathered. We have not established that there’s collusion, that's why we need to develop and conduct of case buildup. But sometimes, you just have reason to (conclude) that here’s collusion there,” he added.
Abayalde said they were gathering evidence in order to have an airtight case against the politicians, whom he refused to identify.
He said these politicians are more careful of their movements now to avoid detection and apprehension. These politicians are also being protected by at least 10 policemen and maintain their own private armed groups, he added.
Albayalde said that among the common crime that these groups commit are killings and kidnapping for ransom.
“So based from the intelligence reports that we gather, kailangan namin mag-conduct ng case build-up. And of course, this is quite dangerous due to the upcoming election. Hindi natin pwede pabayaan ito lalo na sa Mindanao where incidents of kidnapping are still happening,” he said.
(We need to conduct case build-up. And of course, this is quite dangerous due to the upcoming elections. We could not just ignore these especially in Mindanao, where kidnapping incidents still happen.)
Albayalde earlier ordered a crackdown on guns-for-hire and private armed groups (PAGs) following the series of killings of local officials in the country. The crackdown is also aimed at ensuring the peaceful conduct of the midterm elections in May 2019.
Since August, Albayalde said the PNP has neutralized 82 gun-for-hire group members and confiscated 35 firearms.
He said since the May 2018 elections, they have monitored at least 77 active PAGS with 2,071 members who are believed armed with an estimated 1,582 firearms.
He said eight out of 10, or at least 80 percent, of these PAGS are operating in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. (SunStar Philippines)