No threats monitored so far as local campaign starts – PNP

Headquarters of the Philippine National Police and its logo. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — No threats have been monitored by the Philippine National Police (PNP) so far as the campaign period for local candidates started on Friday.

“At the moment, we have not monitored any [threats], although we have said that the validated ERIs [election-related incidents] remain at 11,” Col. Randulf Tuaño, chief of the PNP Public Information Office, said in Filipino in a press briefing in Camp Crame.

When asked if there had been untoward incidents so far, Tuaño said: “None, according to our director for operations.”

READ: PNP on heightened alert for start of local campaign period

Ahead of the local campaign kick-off, Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo, the PNP spokesperson, said the police were on “heightened alert,” with their shifts extended by 25 percent.

“Police deployment remains unchanged. This will be according to the directive of their respective regional directors, wherever they see fit to deploy our existing checkpoints,” Fajardo said.

Tuaño added that, although the PNP anticipated a spike in poll-related violence, it had monitored fewer election areas of concern.

“Based on the validation and revalidation of our Regional Joint Security Control Center, our election areas of concern decreased from 403 to 385, meaning our EACs decreased according to our reporting at this time,” he said.