PNP notes spate of killings of village chieftains

The Philippine National Police (PNP) is under orders to address the series of killings of village captains in the country as the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections in October approaches. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said Tuesday at Camp Crame that the PNP, and even the military on the ground, is expected to do its job in addressing the killings, noting that any problem on peace and order "is a cause for concern" by the Arroyo government. "Of course, the President has ordered that it (killings) should stop. It should not even happen," Ermita said in Filipino. As of Tuesday, four village chieftains have been reportedly killed since President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo delivered her State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 23 where she ordered Congress to craft laws that will impose harsher penalties on political killings. Two of the reported slain barangay captains were from Metro Manila, while two were from the Southern Tagalog area. "I am asking all our barangay captains, officials and other candidates (for the upcoming local elections) to cool their heads this coming elections. Let us leave it to the people to decide who they want to vote this election, who they want to give a mandate over the barangay," PNP chief Director General Oscar Calderon said in a separate interview. "Let us have a peaceful election," he said. Calderon said the PNP is now preparing for the upcoming elections and is in fact identifying already the villages where electoral violence is imminent, based on its history. - GMANews.TV