President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the country’s armed forces to shoot and kill candidates who refuse to surrender their firearms despite the nationwide gun ban for the May 13 polls.
“If you have an M16, M14 firearm [and] if the police and the military tell you to surrender it, surrender it. If you do not follow that, I’m telling the police and the military to kill you,” the President said during the last campaign sortie of the ruling PDP-Laban party late Saturday.
“How can you arrest a person who does not want to surrender? Just kill them. That’s my order to everyone all over the country,” he added.
The Chief Executive then mentioned the situation in Lanao Del Sur, which was believed to be targeted by groups who aim to cause a failure of elections there.
This, he said, was “just plain terrorism,” and he reminded the groups that martial law was still in effect in Mindanao.
“Do not force my hand to do something which you might not like and hate me for all time,” he added.
In December 2018, the President called on the Commission on Elections to follow the Alunan doctrine, which limits a candidate to two armed bodyguards.
President Duterte said he phoned Comelec Chairman Sheriff Abas to implement the doctrine following the murder of AKO Bicol Party-list representative Rodel Batocabe.
“Let’s go back to the Alunan doctrine that no candidate should strut around with bodyguards with long firearms. That’s prohibited,” he said.
Duterte then warned those who try to get through police and military checkpoints that he has ordered the troops to immediately shoot them.
“My directive to the police and military is [to] kill them. Let’s try. Make my police and soldiers look dumb and oppose the checkpoints because you’re a governor or mayor, then f*** ***,” he said.
“When they defy the order to stop at checkpoints, shoot them. That’s it, it’s simple,” he added,.
Malacañang earlier said the national government is all set for the upcoming polls.
Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the Department of Education assured them that 36,000 schools are now ready to be used as polling precincts and 230,000 teachers will serve as members of the Electoral Boards and technical support for Monday’s elections.
“The Philippine National Police [PNP], on the other hand, will deploy 150,000 police personnel in various parts of the country to ensure public safety and security on the Election day,” he said in a statement Friday.
“The PNP has launched the National Election Monitoring Action Center to monitor situations in all polling centers from Camp Crame, including the arrival of vote counting machines [VCMs], counting of ballots, and delivery of ballot boxes,” he added.
The Department of Energy has also assured the public that there will be stable power on the day of the elections.
The Palace official urged the Comelec to do its constitutional duty as the sentinel of the elections in ensuring the integrity of the ballots.
“Any form of cheating committed by the electoral body’s personnel or contractor [Smartmatic] will not be tolerated by this administration,” Panelo said.
“We enjoin all Filipinos who are eligible to vote to participate in this healthy democratic exercise as we call on all candidates across the political spectrum to ask their supporters to observe an honest, orderly, peaceful and credible elections reflective of the people’s genuine will,” he added.
Police on Sunday reported that a total of 20 people have been killed in 43 incidents.
PNP spokesperson, Col. Bernard Banac said the figure involved election-related incidents recorded from Jan. 13 to May 11. A total of 24 persons were also wounded since the start of the election period.
Banac said the number is low compared to the number of election-related cases in the previous election years.
He added that based on the National Election Monitoring Action Center in Camp Crame, the PNP has so far recorded 19 incidents of vote buying throughout the country as of 11 a.m. Sunday.
Banac said of the 19 incidents involving 157 persons, 147 were arrested and the 10 others remain at large.
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