PNP keeps eye on 7 PAGs
Police Regional Office (PRO) VI is monitoring reports of the existence of at least seven partisan armed groups in Western Visayas, particularly in several towns in Panay Island.
Before they could be used for election purposes, PNP Directorate for Integrated Police Office (DIPO) chief Director Ray Roderos said that they are keeping an eye against these groups.
He added that police has also mapped out measures to counter the groups from acting against the law.
“We have already created a task group for every partisan armed group that is there... and there is an attached public safety management company in case if they need to make an arrest or implement a search warrant of if in case there is an operation,” Roderos assured.
For now, though, reports claimed that these are not monitored to be active. Thus, they posed no threat.
Further, Roderos assessed that these groups could not really be considered as full-blown PAGs.
He explained, “these are not really PAGs per se because when you say PAGs, they are really armed and in the area and they try to influence the elections. Even if they have the intention, we are ready for them.”
Amid this assessment, Roderos said that they won’t be complacent in lowering their guards down.
Meanwhile, even Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) director Senior Supt. Renato Gumban said that they found no indicators of the activity of the reported five partisan armed groups in the area.
Instead, he surmised that the reported groups could just be ordinary people with guns,
“That’s why, I instructed my intelligence officers to delist these groups, if necessary,” he added.
So far, Gumban said that they have not arrested any group of persons who carry guns that could serve as indicator of the presence of private armed groups.
But he assured that they have been continuously monitoring the election situation in the province.
