PLEASE spare the police in your political advertisements. This was Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 Director Patrocinio Comendador Jr.’s reaction yesterday when he found a one-page advertisement in Sun.Star Cebu accusing retired police general Marcelo Garbo of campaigning around Cebu.
“We ask our political officials to disassociate themselves with this LP (Liberal Party) political operator,” the ad read.
It asked anyone to send a picture of Garbo electioneering for LP to the Duterte-Garcia legal team.
One Cebu gubernatorial candidate Winston Garcia, in an interview, said suspicions rose when they received reports that Garbo, who once served as PRO 7 director, returned to Cebu to campaign.
Garbo, according to the ad, “has been observed going around Cebu openly campaigning for LP candidates and has also reportedly been meeting with Cebu police officials.”
Assurance
“Naa gani mi makit-an nga sayop nga gihimo sa kapulisan, file-lan dayon namo na og kaso (If we can find an anomaly in activities by police, we will immediately file cases against them),” Garcia said.
Comendador assured that the PRO 7 under his leadership will always be apolitical and impartial, favoring no political party, so there’s no reason for any election candidate to speculate.
“Ang kapulisan (The police) have been through many battles. We have been through many wars, and we have so many scars. Dili siguro ingon anaon paghadlok ang atong kapulisan (Nobody should threaten us that way),” he told reporters.
“I think that’s already below the belt,” he said.
Comendador denied allegations that Garbo met with local police officials, saying the retired general has had no scheduled meeting with any of them here so far.
If Garbo is indeed campaigning for LP, it’s not a big deal for Comendador, as far as the PRO 7 is concerned. “He’s no longer connected with the PNP (Philippine National Police). He’s already retired,” he said.
He said Garbo should also not be prevented from visiting his former comrades in Cebu, considering he used to be the PRO 7 director.
Comelec opinion
If Garbo is a voter, Comendador said, then “all voters (who) are political supporters cannot associate with the PNP,” because the law enforcement agency should always be impartial.
He directed police officers not to be swayed by political advertisements that lack evidence to back their claims.
“You should not be swayed by any ad or statement that may have political colors. Let us stay focused on securing the elections with impartiality,” he said.
Sought for comment by ABS-CBN News, Commission on Elections 7 Director Jose Nick Mendros said Garbo, as a citizen and no longer a government official, may not have violated any election regulation if indeed he’s campaigning for a political party.
Comendador said the advertisement is a mere “part of political intramurals. It is purely that one, positioning, giving information against the other one. On top of this, we (the police) will remain apolitical.”