LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Police authorities said that the conduct of the October 30, 2023 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (BSK) elections and the commemoration of All Saint’ Day and All Souls Day last November 1 and 2, 2023 have been generally peaceful in the Cordillera, except for some isolated incidents that were effectively and efficiently handled by the uniformed personnel.
Police Brig. Gen. David K. Peredo, Jr., regional director of the Police Regional Office – Cordillera (PRO-COR), said that except for some eight isolated and minor incidents mostly in Abra, the conduct of the BSK elections and the proclamation of the winning candidates in the whole region went on smoothly as planned.
He claimed that the clustered precincts in the 1,403 polling centers peacefully opened, except the one in the remote barangay of Tineg that was disrupted by the indiscriminate firing of a firearm by a still unidentified individual some 300 meters away from the polling center that resulted in the delayed casting of ballots and the extended time of voting.
The police official disclosed that the incident is being investigated by the concerned authorities while a manhunt operation is being done against the still unidentified perpetrator.
Earlier, more than 6,000 uniformed personnel from the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines and more than 14,900 personnel of the Department of Education joined forces to oversee the peaceful conduct of the BSK elections.
He commended the personnel of the education department and the police and military for their dedication and commitment in ensuring the peaceful conduct of the BSK elections so that barangay officials will be able to get a fresh mandate from their electorate after several extensions in the conduct of the elections.
According to the said official, uniformed police and military were able to escort the return of the used ballot boxes from the precincts to the city and municipal treasury offices for safekeeping.
On the other hand, Peredo reported that the commemoration of All Saint’s Day and All Souls Day in the region was also generally peaceful because of the active participation and cooperation of the well wishers to the policies that were enforced in the different public and private cemeteries where their loved ones were buried.
He stipulated that there were no untoward incidents that transpired that could have disrupted the prevalence of law and order during the commemoration of All Saints Day and All Souls Day in the private and public cemeteries in the region.
The law enforcers strictly imposed the ban on the carrying of bladed items, cigarettes, lighters among others in the cemeteries to ensure the prevalence of law and order during the said commemoration of All Saint’s Day and All Souls Day.
He expressed his gratitude to the law enforcers and the force multipliers for their support in the enforcement of the necessary rules and regulations that paved the way for the peaceful commemoration of the All Saint’s Day and All Souls Day in the different parts of the region.
