MANILA, PHILIPPINES — More than 20 private armed groups (PAG) have been dismantled ahead of the May 2022 elections, according to the Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Colonel Jean Fajardo. 

These groups, according to Fajardo, are made up of members of local terrorist groups in the Bangsamoro region.

“More or less nasa 20 na po yung ating na-dismantle, na-disband, at na-delist po doon sa listahan natin ng mga private armed group (Over 20 PAGs have been dismantled, disbanded, and delisted from the list of PAGs),” Fajardo said.

She claimed that several members of these PAGs had surrendered their weapons and surrendered to authorities.

PNP operations against PAGs have been ramped up in the run-up to the May 2022 elections in order to prevent violence, as they have been historically used by politicians during election periods.

Some politicians, according to Fajardo, were allegedly recruiting these PAG members in relation to the election’s conduct.

Fajardo said the PNP will file a complaint against those politicians who use PAGs when they have sufficient proof.

PNP is continuously on the watch for candidates who are using PAGs to get an advantage in the upcoming elections.

“Sa ngayon, we have not monitored any credible threat so to speak para ma-disrupt or hindi matuloy itong eleksyon natin but nonetheless, hindi po tayo nagkukumpiyansa kaya patuloy po yung sinasagawa natin intelligence monitoring and gathering with coordination of course doon sa ating AFP counterparts at ilang law enforcement agencies para hindi po tayo malusutan kung merong pagbabanta,” Fajardo said.

(For now, we have not monitored any credible threat so to speak that will disrupt or stop our election, but nonetheless, we are vigilant so we continue our intelligence monitoring and gathering with coordination with our AFP counterparts and other law enforcement agencies so the threat will not get past us.)

Meanwhile, the National Task Force for the Dismantlement of Private Armed Groups is expected to issue an official resolution delisting the three remaining operational PAGs.

President Rodrigo Duterte previously stated that having more than two security assistants is already deemed a private army and might be considered a violation of election regulations.

– WhatALife!

Source: (gmanetwork.com)

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