Village, Youth Polls Generally Peaceful: PNP

The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday declared the conduct of the nationwide barangay (village) and Sangguniang Kabataan (youth council) elections as “generally peaceful.”

“The 2018 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections had been relatively peaceful and orderly in all regions of the country as the polls closed at 3 p.m.,” Chief Supt. John Bulalacao, head of PNP Public Information Office, said in a statement.

He said the National Election Monitoring Action Center in Camp Crame (NEMAC) received reports of several isolated violent incidents before and during election day.

The NEMAC recorded that a total of 35 persons dead and 27 wounded in 47 separate cases of violence since the election period began 30 days ago on April 14.

“The PNP NEMAC is continuously monitoring election security operations of PNP units that remain in their posts until the culmination of election activities and complete pull-out of election personnel,” said Bulalacao.

The election periods runs until May 21, 2018.

Of the 47 cases, seven were validated to be election-related while the investigation is underway to look into the remaining 40 cases.

He noted that 13 persons have died based on the validated Election-Related Incidents.

Intensified police operations, mainly through police response, checkpoint, gun check and search warrant operations, led to the arrest of 1,350 persons for various offenses including vote-buying, violation of the 48-hour liquor ban, and possession of firearms, explosives and bladed weapons.

Bulalacao said the PNP also confiscated an assortment of 1,157 firearms along with 7,926 rounds of live ammunition, 79 grenades, and 350 explosive devices.

He said that all 181,212 uniformed PNP personnel assumed election duty in 73,562 polling centers, and in the Reactionary Standby Support Forces of the Police Regional Offices and the National Headquarters, and as members of the Quick Reaction Teams.

In Mindanao, 1,100 police personnel served as members of the Board of Election Tellers (BET) in some voting centers in Sulu, Basilan, Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur where the assigned BET members failed to report.

In a similar electoral exercise in the 2013, the PNP recorded 57 violent incidents wherein 33 persons died and 55 others were wounded.

In the 2013 barangay polls, the PNP arrested 3,905 gun ban and liquor ban violators, and other election law offenders. (PNA)