By Ronron
October 30, 2007
The Philippine National Police (PNP) is shifting its focus to the All Saints’ and Souls’ Days following the “generally peaceful” conduct of the village and youth officials’ elections last Monday.
Chief Supt. Silverio Alarcio, chief of the PNP Directorate for Operations, said Tuesday the police is launching OPERATION PLAN (OPLAN) Kaluluwa (Soul) “to ensure the security of your loved ones who will go to cemeteries for the All Saints and All Souls Days.”
By early morning of Wednesday, Traffic Management Group (TMG) Director Chief Supt. Perfecto Palad said they will start setting up “makeshift tents along major thoroughfares, especially on intersections to assist commuters.”
Alarcio and Palad noted that since it will be a long holiday, a lot of people, especially in Metro Manila, are expected to travel to provinces.
“We expect a heavy volume of vehicles in the Northern Luzon Expressway, and people in bus terminals,” Palad said.
Alarcio said aside from securing cemeteries and travel routes, the PNP will also be monitoring possible activities of terrorists, especially that they could take advantage of large gatherings of people.
“The Regional Mobile Group, Provincial Mobile Group and intelligence community will intensify their efforts against plans of enemies like terrorists… Since the 9/11 incident, we have changed our view about holidays,” Alarcio said.
At 8am yesterday (Tuesday), the PNP has downgraded its alert level nationwide from full to heightened level, except for the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) and the Special Action Force (SAF) unit.
The alert was raised last Sunday in preparations for the nationwide polls last Monday for barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials. Hours after the casting of votes, PNP chief Gen. Avelino Razon, Jr. declared the entire election day as generally peaceful.
As of 5am Tuesday, the PNP has recorded a total of 53 election-related violent incidents (ERVI’s) since the start of the election period on September 29, resulting in the death of 29 people, the wounding of 24, and the abduction of one.
During the election day itself from 1am until 11:30 pm, the PNP recorded nine ERVI’s resulting in the death of seven people, and the wounding of three.
The first incident was the shooting of a barangay chairman candidate in Lamitan City, Basilan at 1am. The victim, identified as Hadji Ali Salasim, was hurt.
It was followed at 4am by the burning of a school building in Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija. There were no casualties in said incident.
The third and fourth incidents happened almost the same time at 5:30 am. One is the shooting incident in Catarman, Northern Samar that resulted in the death of an incumbent barangay chairman and a barangay tanod, while the other is an ambush in Cataingan, Masbate that resulted in the wounding of two policemen.
The fifth incident is also an ambush at 6am in Silvino Lobos, Northern Samar that left two barangay councilor candidates dead.
The sixth incident – the ransack and destruction of election paraphernalia - followed at 6:15 am in Matina, Davao City.
The seventh incident happened at 12 noon, involving ballot snatching at Pikit, North Cotabato.
The eighth incident is a shooting incident at 12:45 pm in Isabela City, Basilan that left a candidate and his supporter killed.
Finally, the last incident happened at 11:30pm in Sultan Mastura, Sultan Kudarat wherein a newly-proclaimed barangay chairman, identified as Samsudin Lumbos, was shot to death by unidentified suspects.
Alarcio said the police will continue to gather ERVI’s until the election period ends on November 13.
Alarcio said the PNP’s declaration of a generally peaceful elections last Monday is based on the fact that the ERVI total is way below the figure of 159 ERVI’s in the 2002 barangay and SK polls (75 people killed and 69 others wounded).
He said the PNP has downgraded the alert level since the situation is already normalizing.
Asked if the alert will be raised back to full level for the All Saints’ and Souls’ Days, PNP spokesman Chief Supt. Samuel Pagdilao, Jr. said: “We will look at the situation if it warrants the raising of the alert level back to full status.”
On threats of terrorist attack during the long holiday, he said: “We have not received specific intelligence pointing to a group that is out to do something like carry out terrorist activities.”/DMS
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