Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) personnel
CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) has temporarily reassigned a total of 128 officers who are related to aspirants for the 2025 midterm elections.
PRO-7 spokesperson Police Lieutenant Colonel Gerard Ace Pelare relayed that their initial inventory showed that there are 128 police officers with relatives running in the elections in their assigned areas.
Among these, one is from the Cebu City Police Office, one is from Mandaue City Police Office, 39 are from the Cebu Police Provincial Office, and 71 from the Bohol Police Provincial Office.
In addition, 14 officers are from the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office, one is from the Siquijor Police Provincial Office, and one is from the Regional Mobile Force Battalion.
Pelare said that these personnel have been transferred to different assignments in order to avoid any possible interference with the upcoming election season.
However, he said that this number might increase after further reviews of their inventory.
Moreover, there are a few station commanders who will be transferred during the election season because they have reached the maximum years of service in their current post.
Pelare explained that the purpose of the temporary reassignment is to ensure that the law enforcers exercise political neutrality.
“Ang ato lang purpose ani is mapakita nato ang atoang political neutrality. Wa man ta mo ingo nga if they are there in their homwtoens, manghilabot sila sa election. But we just want to show nga, among ipakita ang amoang political neutrality,” he said.
Pelare added that the reassigned officers are instructed to continue performing their duties no matter where they are assigned.
“Police Brigadier General Anthony Aberin would want nga they should perform their job bisag asa pa sila ma-assign during the election period. And we are confident man pud in PRO-7 that our police will not meddle in any election activities. We just want to show and to set us as an example diri sa PRO-7 nga we are really practicing political neutrality,” said Pelare. /clorenciana