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300 Maguindanao cops to help in Region 10 Elections this May 2010

February 17, 2010

By Lizanilla J. Amarga

Around 300 police officers from the Province of Maguindanao who were involved in the gruesome Ampatuan massacre would be deployed in the five provinces of Northern Mindanao to directly help out in the May 2010 Local and National Elections.

Philippine National Police (PNP-10) regional director chief superintendent Danilo Empedrad said there are already a total of 240 police officers from Maguindanao who are here in the region and that they expect more to arrive bringing the total number to 300.

He said these police officers from Maguindanao would be deployed in the provinces of Bukidnon, Camiguin, Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental and Lanao del Norte as “regular police officers” who would be assigned to help keep the peace and order in these areas during the May 2010 Elections.

“But we have put in place some restrictions or shall we say some steps to monitor their (Maguindanao police officers) activities and their attitudes para makita natin na sa atin na talaga sila,” he told reporters yesterday.

These Maguindanao police officers spent their Christmas and New Year at a PNP barracks in the Province of Bukidnon for “moral recovery” seminars and trainings.

Empedrad assured that the 240 Maguindanao police officers are “now cleared of the charges against them” connected to the Ampatuan Massacre where over 57 people were brutally killed last November 23, 2009.

He said they were able to identify only a handful of the 240 Maguindanao police officers who presently still have pending charges relative to the Ampatuan Massacre.

“Meron then iba na identified na pending pa ilang case and they would have to face the proper courts pagpinapatawag na sila. But, as of now, definitely they would be assigned to the different provincial offices to augment the forces and help out in the elections,” he said.

He added that more than half of the 240 Maguindanao police officers are actually from Northern Mindanao and other nearby regions who were sent to the Maguindanao province when they were still of lower-rank.

Empedrad said PNP-10 regional command has already sent out last week the second and last batch of the 300 police officers from Northern Mindanao who were ‘exchanged’ for the 300 Maguindanao police officers.

He added that these 300 police officers from Northern Mindanao already underwent preparation training and would also be deployed in Maguindanao as “regular police officers” expected to keep the peace and order situation in their respective area of responsibility during the May 2010 local and national elections.

Empedrad’s statements were issued in an ambush interview with the members of the PNP Press Corps after the 19th PNP Anniversary celebration at Camp Alagar, Lapasan yesterday where Commission on Elections (Comelec) regional director Atty. Renato Magbutay was the guest speaker.

It was attended by the provincial command officers from Bukidnon, Camiguin, Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental and Lanao del Norte as well as the city directors from the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan.

Written by admin · Filed Under Feature 

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