AUTHORITIES projected this weekend an intense vote buying and even warned the potential proliferation of fake money during Monday’s barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections nationwide.
In a radio interview, Philippine National Police Chief Oscar Alayalde said he was expecting local executives vying for the elective post to engage in intense vote buying on the eve and the actual voting day.
As Albayalde predicted such eventuality, other police officials were not discounting the proliferation of fake money during the election day, a strategy aimed to outmaneuver opponents for the elective post.
Chief Supt Ma-o Aplasca, chief of the PNP Directorate for Operations, said fake money from supporters of certain candidates and even the candidate themselves could circulate during the elections.
This developed as Albayalde ordered all the 160,000 strong police force deployed in polling precincts across the country during the elections.
In related developments:
• Two days before the village and youth council polls, National Capital Region Police Office director Camilo Cascolan ordered all district directors, chiefs of police and station commanders in Metro Manila to strictly monitor and implement the liquor ban effective Sunday until election day.
The NCRPO chief came up with the directive in line with the government’s campaign to ensure peace and orderly elections.
• Two army soldiers were killed while eight others were wounded in a firefight with New People’s Army rebels in the ridges of Kabankalan City in Negros Occidental Saturday.
The skirmish occurred as 30 army troops from the 62nd Infantry Battalion were on combat operation in Sitio Atubon in Tan-Awan village in connection with the Monday elections.
Reports said the soldiers were maneuvering at the said village when they sighted an estimated 60-man rebel band sparking an ensued encounter that lasted for almost an hour.
After the fighting, the rebels withdrew towards the direction of Sitio Amyan of said barangay leaving two soldiers dead while eight others wounded.
So far, 27 people were killed while six people were wounded in 20 election-related incidents days before the election day.
The PNP said 11 suspects had been arrested while 83 remained at large, 23 of whom had been identified.
At least 5,744 areas have been considered as election hotspots.
Albayalde said election-related violence might eventually subside with the deployment of policemen in election hotspots and areas of concern,
Albayalde said the possibilities of fist-fighting and casting of harsh and invectives among opposing candidates might still spark during the election day.
Authorities said police would continue to conduct anti-illegal drugs operations against candidates in the narco list.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Interior Department had released the names of at least 207 candidates included in the narco list which they sounded-off to voters to drop them in their choices during the election day.
Citing the Omnibus Election Code, Cascolan said the liquor ban “prohibits any person who sells, furnishes, offers, buys, serves or takes intoxicating liquor on the days fixed by law for the registration of voters in the polling place, or on the day before the election or on election day.”
The Code states that “hotels and other establishments duly certified by the Ministry of Tourism as tourist oriented and habitually in the business of catering to foreign tourists may be exempted for justifiable reasons upon prior authority of the Commission.”
The authorities said violators of the ban would be penalized with imprisonment of not less than one year but not more than six years and shall not be subject to probation, and in addition, the guilty party shall suffer disqualification to hold public office and deprivation of the right of suffrage.
Cascolan said the NCRPO was prepared and ready to secure a fair and peaceful elections on Monday.
“This task is not new to us. We have been successful in securing the previous elections, we have proven our organizational capability by our previous gains and accomplishments nevertheless, we are not complacent with those gains. Rather, we set them as our benchmarks to further improve our security coverage and upgrade the quality of policing,” he said.
Records from NCRPO Regional Election Monitoring and Action Center showed that since the government declared the election period on April 14, the authorities conducted 2,610 checkpoints in addition to other anti-criminality police operations.
These, according to Cascolan, resulted in the arrest of 219 offenders of the Omnibus Election Code, confiscation of 90 assorted firearms, 4 grenades, 5 firearms replica, 117 bladed weapons, and 359 ammunitions.
Cascolan assured the NCRPO was continuously intensifying its anti-criminality campaign to ensure a peaceful and fair election as well as to maintain peace and order of every community in Metro.
“We also observe continuous coordination and collaboration with our partner government agencies, local government units, volunteer groups and stakeholders to ensure the success of the elections. More than tasks, it is our primary goal to have the barangay and SK election peaceful, fair, and successful. This is one of our many ways to return the support of the public,” he said.
Cascolan also ordered his men to intensify checkpoint operations and the gun ban.
He urged the public to abide the law and cooperate with the police in order to achieve the goal of a safe and peaceful election day.
Meanwhile, the Metro Manila Development Authority has announced it is suspending its Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program or number coding scheme on May 14 which was declared by Malacañang as a non-working holiday upon the request of the Commission on Elections.
The Comelec said there was a need to declare the synchronized village and youth council polls a special non-working holiday to afford registered voters the opportunity to participate fully in the said exercise.
Voters are to choose one chairman and six barangay council members while young voters will elect their SK chief and six council members.