Cops sacked for ‘sneaking in flying voters’ with mayor

BEHIND THE SCENES

Alfred P. Dizon

This early, unscrupulous politicians and their minions are trying all means – fair or foul,  to ensure they will win in next year’s May polls.   

Last week in Abra for instance, regional police authorities ordered the immediate relief and investigation of two policemen who acted as VIP security personnel of La Paz Mayor Joseph JB Bernos for their alleged involvement in partisan politics by escorting individuals to register and beat last Wednesday’s deadline of registration of voters in Barangay Isit, Dotores town and having in their possession firearms that were not issued to them.

Chief Supt. Benjamin B. Magalong, regional police director revealed this identifying the sacked policemen as PO3 Raymund L. Palope and PO2 Jithelo PaniganTuazon, both VIP security personnel assigned to Bernos.

           

Elements of the Abra Provincial Public Safety Company led by Chief Insp. Gil Imado, Deputy Commander, and Senior Insp. Ricky Dangioan, Dolores town police chief reportedly seized from Tuazon one MP5 sub-machine pistol (Cal.9mm) with one magazine and 28 bullets allegedly owned by the local government of La Paz and a Cal. 45 pistol and one magazine loaded with seven bullets.

            

Police investigation showed around 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 31, Bernos arrived at the vicinity of the Commission on Elections in Dolores town with still undetermined number of companions to register and beat deadline set by the Commission on Elections.

            

While inside the Comelec office, a heated argument suddenly erupted between Mayor Bernos and Armando Bernardino, Comelec municipal registrar of Dolores, on alleged refusal of the Comelec to register residents from Barangay Isit, Dolores.

            

After heated argument of the two officials, Bernos also allegedly engaged Dolores Mayor Robert Victor Seares, Jr. in another heated argument regarding the same issue. When things seemed to go out of control, Seares sought the assistance of Imado and Dangioan to put things in order.

           

 While at the scene, responding policemen saw the two La Paz policemen in the company of Bernos and immediately disarmed them to prevent more trouble.

           

A Camp Dangwa press dispatch did not say what happened after that. Needless to say, Abra had been known as an election hotspot over the years due to killings related to politics.

            

“The relief of our policemen shows our firm commitment to achieve lasting peace in Abra and that may the incident serve as a wake-up call to Abra politicians to start employing peaceful means of campaigning in order to win and not to harass voters just to stay in power. We will not allow our policemen to be used by anybody to protect their dubious activities and political interests whether they are incumbent or powerful political leaders of any political party,” Magalong said.