Relative to the May 13,2019 elections

CAMP RUPERTO KANGLEON, Palo, Leyte – A police official here in the region said that they will remain to be nonpartisan and will never allow their organization to be used by candidates running in this year’s midterm elections.
The Philippine National Police(PNP), under the leadership of Chief Supt. Dionardo Carlos, has initiated a unity peace and covenant signing among candidates last Sunday(June 13).
Police Senior Superintendent Ariel Arcinas, acting-regional director for administration of the PNP-8, said that by having the unity walk and peace signing covenant, they have high hopes that the conduct of the balloting across the region would be peaceful and orderly.
“The PNP is always committed to ensure a safe and secure election. We will remain nonpartisan and objective. We are doing this to guide candidates and for them to help us in ensuring a safe and secured election,” Arcinas said.
“Any violation will be dealt accordingly. We are after the rule of law particularly the respect of human rights, we will always abide of the guidelines that is in favor of humanity,” he added.
The PNP in the region, he said, would always act in accordance to the guidelines set by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) relative to the May 13 elections.
On Sunday, which marked the start of the election period, the PNP put up checkpoints in strategic areas and start of the gun ban as one of the measures in ensuring the forthcoming balloting will become orderly and violence-free.
Here in the region, the PNP has yet to identify possible areas considered as flashpoints relative to the elections, Arcinas said.
He said that they are still conducting their validation and assessment on the peace and order situation of each area in the region before they could come up with the list of concerned areas.
“As soon as the validation is completed and we satisfy the national headquarters on the requirements of the validation and we are given the go signal to make the list available to public, then will inform you,” Arcinas said during a press conference held here Monday (Jan.14).
Meantime, one candidate was provided with his request for security protection, Supt. Fergen Torred, chief of the police security and protection.
Torred decline to identify the said candidate.
Qualified candidates who will request for police escorts can be provided with two security personnel provided they comply with the requirements set by the Comelec which includes assessment to determine if there is indeed a threat on their security and lives.
Candidates may also employ the services of additional escorts from private security at their own expense.
“Currently all protective securities had been recalled because they need to have authorization from the Comelec,” Torred said.

By: Roel T. Amazona

Hopes to surpass last year’s accomplishments

PALO, Leyte- The regional head of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB-8), Gualberto Gualberto, said that they were happy of their last year’s performance.
And this early, they are confident that they could surpass their 2018 performance for this year, the LTFRB-8 chief said.
Gualberto said that last year, they were able to collect about P3 million out of the fines and penalties their office collected from erring bus and vehicle operators and owners.
He also said that because of their strict implementation of their mandate on apprehending abusive and erring bus drivers, 55 vehicles were apprehended, one of the biggest apprehensions made by the regional LTFRB.
“With this kind of performance, we are confident that we can surpass our records, to include our revenue collection,” Gualberto said.
He also said that LTFRB under his watch is also giving focus on their agency’s modernization program on public transport system.
And part of the modernization program is the mandatory requirement for all public utility vehicles to install free Wifi, GPS (global positioning system), and most importantly, CCTVs (closed circuit televisions).
Failure of the owners to follow this requirement, among others, would mean rejection or cancellation of their franchise, Gualberto said.
Meantime, the LTFRB regional director said that they are also addressing the concern of the residents at the resettlement sites in Tacloban City on the shortage of public utility vehicles.
Gualberto said that once they receive an order from their central office, they would immediately increase the number of public utility buses or jeeps in going to the site where families who lost their houses due to super typhoon ‘Yolanda’were resettled by the government.
At present, there are about 100 vehicles plying in the area.
About 30 more units could be added to help address the need of the families in the area, Gualberto said. (JOEY A. GABIETA)

CAMP RUPERTO KANGLEON, PALO, Leyte- The Philippine National Police (PNP) here in the region will lead a unity walk and inter-faith prayer rally this Sunday (Jan.13) aim to have a peaceful and orderly conduct of the elections on May 13, 2019.
Participants coming from various government and private sectors are to converge at the Coca-Cola Junction at 5 am.
Accordingly, the unity walk will be arranged into a one huge walk group approximately 1.2 kilometers from Tacloban City Convention Center or astrodome to be led by a marching band.
Aside from unity walk, the event will also be marked with an inter-faith prayer rally and signing of peace covenant among candidates seeking for elective posts in this year’s mid-term elections, Chief Supt. Dionardo Carlos, police regional director, said.
“We enjoin all the candidates to be part in the signing of the peace covenant for them to commit themselves to the real essence of the covenant which is to have a peaceful, non-partisan, honest and fair elections. At the end of the day, we are all citizens of this country working together for a better Philippines,” said Carlos.
The activity is also being coordinated with other government agencies, notably, the Commission on Elections; Department of Interior and Local Government; National Police Commission; Department of Justice; Department of Education; Commission on Higher Education ;Department of Environment and Natural Resources; Department of Public Works and Highways; and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Chief Supt. Carlos added that said activity will also be attended by NSTP/ROTC students and those from different religious groups and elections watchdogs like the PPCRV (Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting).
Carlos encourages the public to actively participate in guarding the integrity of their votes relative to the May 13, 2019 balloting. (LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)