Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar on Thursday ordered all unit commanders to come up with a security plan to address violence resulting from intense political rivalries in next year's national poll. "Now that it is clear who will fight for the local elective positions, we expect heated political rivalries that could lead to violence [and] that is why I ordered the [police] unit commanders to begin their preparations to make sure no violence would ensue in their respective areas of responsibility," Eleazar said in a statement. "I also ordered our Intelligence Group to start the monitoring and background check on all the candidates who have the history, the potential and the means to sow violence as part of our aggressive efforts to ensure an honest and peaceful elections next year," he added. Eleazar said he was satisfied with the security measures enforced by the PNP since the beginning of the filing of the certificates of candidacy on October 1. "We assure our fellow Filipinos that their Philippine National Police will do everything in its power to ensure that this entire democratic process will be protected," he said.

Source: Manila Times October 07, 2021 16:36 UTC