PHILIPPINE National Police’s (PNP) Director General Oscar Albayalde ordered police units to upgrade security precautions and prevent the resurgence of violence particularly against local chief executives.
Wednesday last week, Sapa-Sapa, Tawi-Tawi vice nayor Al Rashid Mohammad Alih was shot dead by two motorcycle-riding men as he was leaving a mall in Zamboanga City. Tanauan, Batangas mayor Antonio Halili was shot and killed by a sniper on July 1 and the next day, Gen. Tinio, Nueva Ecija mayor Ferdinand Bote was gunned down. Trece Martires, Cavite vice mayor Alexander Lubigan was also shot and killed four days later on July 7.
Were these killings drug-related or had something to do with the upcoming midterm election? We do not know for sure but it was sensible for Albayalde to issue his order directed at all police command group and the regional directors. They must review and launch early security measures ahead of the 2019 midterm elections in May next year, including intensifying police visibility, random checkpoints and focused law enforcement operations.
In particular, Albayalde said the PNP is beefing up efforts to crack down on gunrunning syndicates and private armed groups.
Private armed groups and hired guns could be “in season” again with less than a year before the 2019 midterm elections. The spate of violent incidents involving local politicians could escalate as we get closer to the filing of certificates of candidacy this October. Obviously, there are still politicians who continue to maintain armed goons and are ready to use violence just to erase potential rivals.
Hired guns or assassins as well as private armed groups of local political warlords constitute a huge part of the perennial problem of bloody elections in the country. We must disarm them before they place more civilians in danger.
Any person or faction that we can disarm ahead of the election next year would equate to lives being saved.
