PNP warns vs Reds’ extortion

Acorda, however, said they do not foresee any serious security problems for the barangay and SK elections

The Philippine National Police on Monday warned that candidates for the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections paying permits for campaign fees or any form of aid to terrorist groups will face appropriate charges.

PNP chief Police General Benjamin Acorda Jr. stressed that those who are giving in to the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army’s whims for campaign permits will violate Republic Act 11479.

Acorda is particularly referring to the direct payment by candidates to the CPP-NPA, through the permit to campaign and permit to win for the barangay and SK elections scheduled in October this year.

“Let me caution candidates who will fall for this election racket of the CPP-NPA that any form of monetary or material support to the CPP-NPA, a terrorist organization, is tantamount to terrorist financing that is punishable under Republic Act 11479 or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020,” Acorda said.

“If the donor or giver is an incumbent Barangay or SK official, the crime is further aggravated by willful disloyalty to their Oath of Office,” he added.

The PNP chief, however, said they do not foresee any serious security problems for the barangay and SK elections.

The elections for sets of officials for the 42,022 barangay across the country will start with the 90-day election period on 28 August until 29 November this year.

“This early, we do not foresee any serious peace and order concerns on a national scale in the barangay and SK elections. The actions of some remaining active guerilla fronts of the CPP-NPA are closely being monitored for possible conduct of atrocities,” Acorda said.

He also urged candidates in this year’s polls and the public to coordinate with authorities for their security and safety.

“With regards to the threats for some barangay officials and some prospective candidates, we do receive these kinds of reports and appropriate measures were being undertaken like providing appropriate security measures in such areas,” Acorda said.

“On the part of the persons of those who are affected, there are procedures that can be adopted and they can avail of some of the exemptions being provided for by Comelec like gun ban exemptions, they can avail of that and I think there was also a set of date of the processing of these gun ban exemptions,” he added.