BANGUED, Abra – Thirty members of four notorious private armed groups (PAGs) being maintained by influential politicians in this province were arrested by combined law enforcers and military in police operations conducted in relation to the May polls.
Elements of the Task Force Abra, police and military elite forces responsible for security operations in the province confiscated 25 high and low-powered firearms from the arrested PAG members.
Senior Supt. Elmer Soria, deputy regional director for operations of the Police Regional Office in the Cordillera and Task Force Abra head, said the four PAGs are being maintained by a losing congressional candidate, a losing mayoralty candidate in a town and two re-elected mayors in the different parts of the province.
According to Soria, the police and military were able to arrest 14 private armies of the losing congressional candidate and confiscated 9 high and low-powered firearms while 7 PAG members of the losing mayoralty candidate were nabbed with 11 high and low-powered firearms.
On the other hand, 6 private armies of a reelected mayor near this capital town were arrested with 3 firearms confiscated while another re-elected mayor in a remote town lost 3 of his PAG members to the authorities with 2 firearms.
Chief Supt. Villamor Bumanglag, regional police director, said the recently-concluded first-automated elections was the most peaceful in the province because the security personnel were able to hold down election-related violence and incidents to two with one death.
The said incidents were the ambush of Bangued Mayor-elect Ryan Luna where four of his supporters were wounded and the alleged mauling and shooting to death of his driver, Mario Acena, which was perpetrated by incumbent Mayor Dominique Valera.
Based on Task Force Abra records, there were 33 election related incidents with 17 deaths in the May 2004 synchronized national elections while there were 19 election-related incidents and 28 deaths in the May 2007 local elections, all recorded in the different parts of the province.
Elements of the Task Force Abra, police and military elite forces responsible for security operations in the province confiscated 25 high and low-powered firearms from the arrested PAG members.
Senior Supt. Elmer Soria, deputy regional director for operations of the Police Regional Office in the Cordillera and Task Force Abra head, said the four PAGs are being maintained by a losing congressional candidate, a losing mayoralty candidate in a town and two re-elected mayors in the different parts of the province.
According to Soria, the police and military were able to arrest 14 private armies of the losing congressional candidate and confiscated 9 high and low-powered firearms while 7 PAG members of the losing mayoralty candidate were nabbed with 11 high and low-powered firearms.
On the other hand, 6 private armies of a reelected mayor near this capital town were arrested with 3 firearms confiscated while another re-elected mayor in a remote town lost 3 of his PAG members to the authorities with 2 firearms.
Chief Supt. Villamor Bumanglag, regional police director, said the recently-concluded first-automated elections was the most peaceful in the province because the security personnel were able to hold down election-related violence and incidents to two with one death.
The said incidents were the ambush of Bangued Mayor-elect Ryan Luna where four of his supporters were wounded and the alleged mauling and shooting to death of his driver, Mario Acena, which was perpetrated by incumbent Mayor Dominique Valera.
Based on Task Force Abra records, there were 33 election related incidents with 17 deaths in the May 2004 synchronized national elections while there were 19 election-related incidents and 28 deaths in the May 2007 local elections, all recorded in the different parts of the province.
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