3 politicians a week seek PNP protection

MANILA, Philippines - With only eight months to go before the 2010 elections, the Philippine National Police (PNP) is receiving three requests for security escorts every week.

Violence usually mars the election season in the country. Many politicians and their supporters resort to intimidation and violence to win votes or manipulate poll results.

Chief Superintendent Lina Sarmiento, head of the PNP-Police Security and Protection Group (PSPG), said she is personally evaluating formal letters of request submitted to the PSPG by politicians.

Sarmiento told The STAR that the PSPG carefully reviews the requests to see if there are valid reasons for them to prevent her unit from falling short of manpower.

PSPG is tasked to secure government officials and private citizens with confirmed threats on their lives.

She said she would ask PNP chief Director General Jesus Verzosa to allow them to tap local police units in validating or confirming requests from politicians.

Earlier, Verzosa said government officials and private individuals facing confirmed security threats would only be entitled to two armed escorts each.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno said that under a new order, more proof is needed for an official or a private individual to be allowed more than two security escorts.

He said the directive also covers local chief executives who usually have more than two police escorts.

The DILG chief said he has already stopped the practice of assigning officers from the PNP’s Special Action Force as security escorts.

Extension

Meanwhile, an official of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has proposed that the period for voter’s registration be extended by two hours from Monday to Saturday to accommodate more students and workers.

Teopisto Elnas, director of Comelec’s Election and Barangay Affairs Division, said there have been requests to keep registration booths open until 7 p.m. 

At present, Comelec offices accept applications for registration from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“Many election officers have requested that the registration period be extended by two hours so that those coming from schools and offices can still catch up,” he said. 

But Elnas has rejected proposals to extend the voter’s registration after the Oct. 31 deadline.

He noted that the poll body has been giving qualified voters enough time to register by setting up “satellite” registration booths in schools and other public places.

He revealed that there are some 45.4 million registered voters, including 2.6 million new voters, but the figure is expected to increase as more Filipinos are expected to register as the deadline approaches. – With Sheila Crisostomo