The Philippine National Police (PNP) has already neutralized 47 members of private armed groups (PAGs) since August as part of its preparations for the 2019 mid-term elections, and as an agency deputized by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for poll duties.
At least 82 members of gun-for-hire syndicates have also been killed or arrested and 35 firearms were recovered for the same period, as the PNP intensified its campaign against hired criminals.
“Focused intelligence operations are now being directed against more or less 77 active PAGs with 2,071 members believed armed with an estimated 1,582 firearms,” PNP chief Director General Oscar D. Albayalde said during a news briefing on Monday.
“A large majority of these active PAGs operate in the ARMM [Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao]. We are also monitoring the activities of 217 other groups that have the potential of being utilized as PAGs by some politicians,” he added.
Albayalde also reported that the PNP has gained significant headway in the investigation of 18 separate incidents of politically motivated attacks on incumbent elective officials with arrests made against suspects in 11 incidents and criminal charges filed against suspects in two other cases.
The PNP chief said the measures were being undertaken in order to ensure the peaceful conduct of the scheduled midterm elections next year as ordered by President Duterte.
“Aggressive police operations will continue without letup against loose firearms and gun-for-hire groups, some of which are known to double as PAGs during election season,” he said.
“As a deputized agency of the Commission on Elections, the PNP assures the safety and security of the entire election process, including that of all political aspirants, election officials, personnel, equipment and materials,” Albayalde added.
The PNP chief said the leadership is taking administrative actions in order to insulate the PNP from partisan politics, by limited reorganization and reassignment of personnel, particularly those related to candidates who are vying for national and local elective posts.
“I admire those who took the magnanimous initiative and voluntarily offered to be reassigned during the election period to preclude any suspicion of partisan politics in their present positions,” he said.
Meanwhile, Albayalde was elated with the country’s election as member of the United Nations Human Rights Commission for another term, which he view as “a clear manifestation of the international community’s recognition of our steady progress in fulfilling international human-rights obligations.”
He also welcomed the larger acknowledgement by the UN of the global problem on illegal drugs as expressed in the World Drug Report 2018 of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.
“Based on our own experience, the PNP supports the validity of the UN report that these threats posed by illegal drugs to health and well-being, as well as to security, safety and sustainable development demand an urgent response,” Albayalde said.
“We join the UN along with our counterpart national police agencies in urging the international community to take this opportunity to reinforce cooperation and agree upon effective and sustainable solutions to this global problem,” he added.