ILOILO City – Some 685 police officers assigned at the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) were reassigned to other areas in preparation for the upcoming Oct. 30 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE).
The temporary reassignment of police officers with relatives who are candidates in the upcoming polls was from Sept. 8 until Nov. 7.
PRO-6 spokesperson Major Mary Grace Borio said it was to prevent the use of police power or influence by politicians asking for favors and was in compliance with the Omnibus Election Code.
Of 685, Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (PPO) had the most number of personnel reassigned with 262, Capiz PPO with 131, Iloilo PPO with 106, Aklan PPO with 75, Antique PPO with 64, Guimaras PPO with 36, Iloilo City Police Office with six, and Bacolod City Police Office with five.
“Temporary lang danay sila nga i-relieve kay may mga paryente nga mapdalagan sa BSKE, but after that, ibalik man sila,” Borio said.
She also urged the public to report an officer violating police neutrality.
“As a police officer, hindi kita dapat magpahilabot sang elections. We are here to maintain peace and order and secure the public,” Borio added, saying violators will be slapped with administrative charges if proven guilty./PN
