PNP: Stop patronizing pols with private armies

By Dexter A. See 

CAMP DANGWA, La Trinidad, Benguet – The top police officer of the Cordillera has urged Abra constituents to stop patronizing politicians who engage services of private armed groups (PAGs). 

Regional police director Banjamin B. Magalong said politicians who were not able to deliver their promises during elections and who harass people during polls have no place in a decent society.

But despite these, he added peace initiatives being implemented in conflict-stricken Abra province is gaining support from local politicians and residents with significant reduction of politically-motivated crimes that had caused the untimely death of local officials and supporters over the past several years.

           

Magalong, said from average 16 shooting incidents per month last year, only five shooting incidents were recorded in the province for same period with no politically-motivated incident for the first five months of this year.

                

He added the crime solution efficiency of the Abra provincial police office on the five shooting incidents a month is around 80 percent considering that probers are able to solve four  shooting incidents through the arrest and charging of the suspects.

           

 “Abrenians are now waking up to the reality that violence will not do them good, thus, they are now vocal against those instigating violence in their places,” Magalong said.

           

He added from the 87 identified private armies comprising five private armed groups (PAGs) being maintained by politicians in the province, active armed men already decreased to 51 as of the end of May.

           

However, the police official declined to provide additional information on the identity of those maintaining the PAGs since they were given directives by the national headquarters to refrain from linking the PAGs to their benefactors.

            

From the 27 firearms confiscated by law enforcers in the province during the first five months last year, Magalong disclosed law enforcers seized 64 firearms from lawless elements province wide for the first five months of this year.

           

 “We need to accord our incumbent and former local officials respect through our constant communications with them because they also want lasting peace to reign in the whole province and allow development to flourish,” he stressed, citing that “respect begets respect.”

            

Police authorities are still assessing the situation in Abra whether or not to downgrade the existing number of PAGs but there are other suspected private armies who are now surfacing which is affecting their standing decision to reduce the number of PAGs operating in the province.

           

 “People are now becoming aware of the real situation in the province since they now actively participate in activities that denounce violence being done by some quarters, thus, the upcoming 2013 elections will picture Abra differently because of the participation of people in the democratic process,” Magalong added.

           

 “We continue to communicate with those maintaining PAGs and we are getting the right signals towards the attainment of lasting peace in the province,” Magalong said.