Comendador tells candidates to have escorts

CEBU, Philippines - The top official of the Cebu Provincial Police Office encourages candidates to have security personnel as long as they are authorized by the Commission on Elections.

CPPO Director Patrocinio Comendador said this after the convoy of Gingoog City Mayor Ruthie Guingona was ambushed last Saturday that left her wounded and her two police escorts dead.

The New People’s Army (NPA) admitted to the crime and the group’s spokesman in the North Central Mindanao Regional Command, Allan Juanito, said they already warned Guingona to refrain from bringing with her armed bodyguards in going to the barangays to campaign.

Comendador said he will not discourage the candidates in Cebu from availing of the services of security personnel because the situation here is different from Mindanao.

“I’m not discouraging them to have security personnel as long as their security escorts are authorized by the Commission on Elections. I believed that the acts against Mayor Guingona are plain terrorism done by the NPA in order to show their presence in the area. It’s a cheap tactic for a group who had long lost their cause amidst the economic, political and social development in our country today,” Comendador said.

The police and military had announced that the government already crippled the NPA rebels in Cebu, particularly because the people had stopped giving them the support.

“Our validated assessment showed that Cebu is already insurgent-free. Last week, I went to the mountain barangays of Tuburan and there were no reports of NPA sightings.  Also, we did not receive complaints from candidates about demands for permit to campaign fees and this is another indication that there are no more rebels in Cebu,” Comendador added.

In the past, the mid-north of Cebu, particularly the mountains of Danao City, Catmon, Borbon, Tuburan, Asturias and Balamban, was identified as rebel infested.  (FREEMAN)