Comelec asked to allow reshuffling of ‘partisan’ police chiefs

A panel tasked to disband politicians’ armed groups on Tuesday asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to allow the reshuffling of police chiefs to avoid tie-ups with local executives suspected of harboring private armies. The Independent Commission Against Private Armies (ICAP) also known as the Zeñarosa Commission asked Comelec chairman Jose Melo in a letter to direct Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Jesus Verzosa to immediately "rotate" their provincial directors in Region 9 during the election period. The ICAP said the PNP should monitor the actions of the provincial directors to "ensure" that they will not be "beholden" to any political figure in their provinces, thus helping ensure honest, peaceful, and orderly elections. The ICAP likewise asked Melo to order Verzosa to transfer Porac, Pampanga municipal police chief Senior Superintendent Abel Lingat to a different police station during the election period. "The same police (officer) got involved in partisan politics, favoring one mayoralty candidate in Pampanga," ICAP commissioner Herman Basbano told reporters after he submitted their request to the office of Melo. Comelec Resolution 8737 says that there shall be no transfer of public officials or employees to other government agencies or to other divisions or field offices of their current agencies without permission from the Comelec. National and local government offices will also not be allowed to appoint or hire new employees from March 26 to May 10. They will also not be allowed to create and fill in any new position. If there is an urgent need to fill a position, the government agency must inform the Comelec. But Comelec Commissioner Lucenito Tagle, who met with Basbano, said the poll body might be able to make an exemption if it is proven that some police officers were indeed participating in partisan politics. Meanwhile, the ICAP also endorsed a letter from the PNP requesting Comelec Region 5 Director Zacarias Zaragosa to disqualify Ricardo Bulanon Yanson as a mayoralty candidate in San Pascual, Masbate. Basbano said Bulanon, currently the Masbate provincial jail warden, was arrested together with his provincial guard for violating the nationwide gun ban being implemented by the Comelec. "He was arrested in a checkpoint," Basbano said. He added that the candidate was once investigated for the escape of a prisoner accused in the 2001 Mayor Moises Espinosa Jr. murder case. Violation of the gun ban and Comelec Resolution 8737 constitutes an election offense, which is punishable by one to six years imprisonment, disenfranchisement, and disqualification from holding public office. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo formed the ICAP last December 8 through Administrative Order 275 after public outrage over the massacre of at least 57 people in the southern province of Maguindanao on November 23.—JV, GMANews.TV