PNP creates task force vs Masbate private armies

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has placed Masbate province in the Bicol Region under “special police watch" due to the reported presence of about nine partisan armed groups that may cause election-related violence there. PNP chief Director General Jesus Verzosa on Wednesday said he has ordered the creation of a special task force to maintain peace and order in the province as the May elections draw near, and to oversee law enforcement and security operations there. “It is vital that we (PNP) maintain a strong presence in the province of Masbate thru the Special Task Force to effectively carry-out law enforcement and security operations during the election period," Verzosa said in an article posted on the PNP Web site. He noted that there is a need to “break the cycle of election violence, intimidation and political killings" in Masbate, one of the poorest provinces in the country that is perennially in the Election Watch List of Areas (EWAs) due to warring political clans. EWAs is a two-category listing of areas of concern based on reported violent incidents in past elections. PAGs Intelligence data from the field have confirmed the presence of least three partisan armed groups (PAGs) actively operating in Masbate. Police are validating initial reports on six other similar groups. Field estimates placed the number of PAGs nationwide at 170, a bulk of which have yet to be validated to confirm their actual status. Tapped to head STF “Masbate" is Senior Superintendent Marcelo Garbo, the newly-designated Executive Officer of the Directorate for Operations. Masbate provincial police chief Senior Superintendent Ed Benigay would be his deputy. STF “Masbate" will have an augmentation force of 100 men of the elite PNP Special Action Force and another company from the Public Safety Management unit from PRO 5, to assist in the operations of the various police offices and stations in the province. Masbate trip Verzosa and members of the Zenarosa Commission, the independent commission created by Malacañang to investigate and dismantle PAGs in the country, would visit Masbate Thursday. They will be briefed on the local political history of the province, and on the prevailing law-enforcement and security situation there, including updates on EWAs and private armed groups. The party would also inspect the Masbate Provincial Jail where some high-profile prisoners are being held, including suspects in some political murders in the province. Verzosa would also convene a command conference of the provincial Joint Security Control Center (JSCC) to tackle, among others complaints regarding the conduct and decorum of police and military personnel during the election period. - KBK, GMANews.TV