DUTERTE SENDS POLICE, SOLDIERS TO COMPOSTELA VALLEY PLEBISCITE

President Rodrigo Duterte has deputized the police, military and other law enforcement agencies for the peaceful and orderly plebiscite on the law renaming Compostela Valley as Davao de Oro. Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, by the authority of the President, signed on November 28 Memorandum Order 42 for the deputization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Philippine National Police (PNP) and other law enforcement agencies for the December 7 plebiscite in Compostela Valley. Under the Constitution, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) “is empowered to deputize, with the concurrence of the President, law enforcement agencies and instrumentalities of the government, including the AFP, for the exclusive purpose of ensuring free, orderly, honest, peaceful and credible elections.” “I, Rodrigo Roa Duterte, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution and existing laws, hereby concur with Comelec Resolution 10616, deputizing the AFP, the PNP, and other law enforcement agencies and instrumentalities of the Government, in connection with the 07 December 2019 Plebiscite in the Province of Compostela Valley,” the order read. Earlier, the Comelec issued a resolution seeking the assistance of the military and police for the plebiscite to ratify Republic Act 11297 also known as “An Act Renaming the Province of Compostela Valley as the Province of Davao de Oro.” The law that will rename Compostela Valley as Davao de Oro was signed by the President on April 17.