PNP provides armed escorts to BARMM election officers
COTABATO CITY—Police authorities in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) have approved the request of election officers in the region to provide them with armed police escorts.
This came amid the rising incidence of violence in the Bangsamoro in the run-up to the midterm national and local elections on May 12, including the recent killing of a municipal election officer.
“We are providing one police escort for every election officer and the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) will also provide another one, as per our agreement, so each EO (election officer) is now protected by two security details,” Brig. Gen. Romeo Macapaz, director of the Police Regional Office (PRO)-BARMM, told a news conference on Saturday.
The decision to provide all BARMM poll officials with armed security escorts came after the killing of lawyer Bai Maceda Lidasan Abo, municipal election officer of Datu Odin Sinsuat town in Maguindanao del Norte province, and her husband Jojo Abo, in an ambush last March 26.
“We cannot allow [that] the same will happen to any other election officer,” Macapaz said.
There are 117 municipal and city election officers under the PRO-BARMM’s area of responsibility, to include the autonomous region’s five provinces—Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi along with the cities of Cotabato, Marawi and Lamitan; the eight towns in the Special Geographic Area that used to be part of Cotabato province; and Sulu province, which has since been separated from BARMM.
All six provincial election supervisors will also have security details, Macapaz said.
The danger faced by Commission on Elections (Comelec) officers has also extended outside of the Bangsamoro, with the recent killings of two elections executives and the wounding of another in Mindanao.
On Nov. 23 last year, John Nico Pandoy, acting election officer of President Quirino town of Sultan Kudarat was killed along the town’s national highway. Two days later, on Nov. 25, Mark Orlando Vallecer II, acting officer of Nunungan town in Lanao del Norte, was killed in Salvador town of the province.
Motive
Sulu provincial election supervisor Vidzfar Amil Julie survived the ambush on Dec. 21 last year that killed his brother, Naser Amil Asiri, in Zamboanga City.
In the case of Abo, Macapaz said the police have identified four “persons of interest” believed to be involved in her ambush in broad daylight while she was on her way to the municipal election office in Barangay Dalican of Datu Odin Sinsuat town.
He said the Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) Abo was able to identify the four persons who may have a hand in the killing of Abo.
“Once the SITG completes its investigation, charges would be filed against [them],” Macapaz added.
“The killing of Abo is work-related, we see no other motive why she was killed,” Macapaz stressed.
Earlier, BARMM interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua condemned Abo’s ambush.
“This act of violence, committed during the sacred month of Ramadan, a time for peace, restraint and self-purification, is utterly inexcusable and goes against everything we believe in as Muslims,” Macacua said.
“There’s no place for criminals in BARMM, violence and evil deeds have no room in our society—not now, not ever,” he added.
Macacua said that BARMM is building a region rooted in justice, faith and compassion, and those who choose to harm the innocent will be met with the full force of the law.
Tighten security
Datu Odin Sinsuat Mayor Lester Sinsuat also condemned the ambush of Abo and appealed to the residents of Barangay Makir who have witnessed the ambush to help authorities identify the suspects.
He also called on the police and military to tighten security in the town to deter similar attacks.
In light of the attack on Abo, PRO-BARMM is deploying an additional troop of 180 police personnel to augment Datu Odin Sinsuat town’s security force, in preparation for its being declared under direct control of Comelec.
Macapaz said the police will act as electoral board members once the town is placed under Comelec control, although the poll body is yet to decide on the proposal.
Comelec has identified 31 areas under “grave security concern” across BARMM, with Maguindanao del Sur having 20, Lanao del Sur with nine, Maguindanao del Norte with one, and another one in Basilan.
Macapaz said the Philippine National Police is closely watching a total of 109 areas that could be “problematic” during this year’s elections.
