CPPO after private armed groups

CPPO Director Engelbert Soriano. | CDN Digital photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Policemen do not discount the possibility that Private Armed Groups (PAGs) continue to operate in Cebu.

Police Colonel Engelbert Soriano, director of the Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO), said these groups are expected to become active in the May 2022 national elections.

And in order to ensure the conduct of an honest and clean election here, Soriano said, they will be launching an intensified campaign against loose firearms to especially cripple the operation of these armed groups.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has set the filing of Certificates of Candidacies (COCs) in October.

As they prepare for the official start of the election season, Soriano said that they will also be after PAGs that some politicians  may use to win in the election.

But to date, Soriano said they are yet confirm the actual operation of PAGs in Cebu and their location.

“Wala kaming masyadong ganitong problema, but we are taking the cue from our chief PNP… We are about to start our validation kung meron bang mga nag e-exist ngayon pero as far as Cebu PPO is concerned, wala po kaming record of any organized or mga private armed groups,” he said.

(We don’t have that much problem, but we are taking the cue from our chief PNP. We are about to start our validation to determine if there exist here but as far as the Cebu PPO is concerned, we still do not have record of any organized or private armed groups.)

Soriano said they will be working with other law enforcement agencies as they gather information on the PAGs.

But even if they are unable to verify their presence here, they will not “relax” their intelligence gathering as they also prepare to secure the national election.

“This is more of intelligence work so yung mga station’s intelligence personnel at tsaka sa headquarters na gagalaw dito, with coordination, of our counterparts from the PNP and other law enforcement agencies,” he added.

(This is more of intelligence work so our station’s intelligence personnel and the headquarters will work on this in coordination, of our counterparts from the PNP and other law enforcement agencies.)

Also, they will continue the conduct of their Simultaneous Anti-Criminality Law Enforcement Operations (SACLEO) and the Oplan Katok program, wherein they actively conduct information dissemination to discourage Cebuanos from keeping unlicensed firearms.

Soriano said the community is an important partner in their anti-criminality campaign.

Earlier, Police Brigadier General Ronnie Montejo, director director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), said the confiscation and the voluntary surrender of firearms helped reduce the region’s crime rate.

READ: Confiscation, surrender of loose firearms seen to help minimize crime rate

On July 1, the Regional Mobile Force Battalion (RMFB) reported the confiscation of 130 firearms and four explosives during their conduct of Internal Security Operations (ISO). / dcb