The Philippine National Police continues to monitor 303 private armed groups as part of the security preparations for next year’s midterm elections, its spokesman said Wednesday.
Chief Supt. Benigno Durana Jr. said they had been monitoring 77 armed groups with 2,060 members that had 1,574 firearms. They had also been monitoring 226 inactive armed groups with 2,028 members and more than 1,000 firearms.
Durana made his statement even as the Commission on Elections said Wednesday it was ready for the filing of Certificates of Candidacy for the 2019 mid-term elections.
It appealed to all aspiring national and local candidates to respect the Comelec offices and make their filing dignified.
Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said the aspirants for elective positions for the 2019 elections were set to file their respective COCs starting Thursday, Oct. 11, until Wednesday, Oct. 17.
“We are appealing to all aspiring candidates to respect the Comelec offices. We are gearing toward a “dignified” filing of COCs. The Comelec is ready and prepared to ensure that the filing is dignified,” Jimenez said.
“We don’t want to turn the filing of COCs into a circus of supporters, and we want to avoid any possible clashes among the supporters of candidates.”
Durana said most armed groups were “seasonal” and mostly based in Mindanao, particularly in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
He said they were validating the information that 72 out of these 77 active armed groups were based in ARMM.
“They were being targeted two months ago and definitely they will be held accountable,” Durana said.
He said Abra was expected to remain an election hot spot due to the incidents of violence there during the 2010 and 2016 elections.
“We will deploy SAF units there, units not territorial to that particular place so that they will not be influenced whatsoever by politicians,” Durana said. With Vito Barcelo