Private armed groups back in Abra – PNP

ROAD CHECK In this 2019 photo, police officers in Bangued, Abra, check a passenger bus as security measures were put in place during the election period that year. —Valerie Damian

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — Private armed groups (PAGs) allegedly hired by powerful political clans have resurfaced in Abra, stoking fears of violence ahead of next week’s midterm elections, the Cordillera police confirmed on Tuesday.

“The resurgence of PAGs … has aggravated the peace and order situation in the province,” said Police Col. Gilbert Fati-ig, an official of the Cordillera police’s operations division, reading from a report during a press conference held at Camp Bado Dangwa, the regional headquarters of the Philippine National Police in La Trinidad, Benguet.

Abra, a known election hotspot in the Cordillera, has 188,957 registered voters expected to cast their ballots across 1,236 precincts spread in the province.

READ: Violence erupts anew in Abra

The police report identified two political clans believed to have reestablished private militias. These groups had supposedly been dismantled years ago following a 2005 Inquirer exposé that was later confirmed by a government fact-finding team.

That investigation revealed that some soldiers and police officers had moonlighted as security aides for warring political clans in Abra.

According to the latest police threat assessment for the May 12 elections, these newly formed PAGs “are being utilized to neutralize perceived threats” by rival families.

In 2022, police claimed that PAGs in Abra had been eradicated through a decadelong campaign that included peacebuilding dialogues and the seizure of unregistered firearms, starting in 2012.

Dialogues

Despite those efforts, the Cordillera police now acknowledge that election-related violence is expected to continue, noting that it will “likely persist … due to fractured alliances and clan rivalries marked by betrayal and deep-seated animosity.”

Suspended Vice Gov. Maria Jocelyn “Joy” Bernos, a member of the local party Asenso Abreño, and the civic group Concerned Citizens of Abra for Good Government, have petitioned the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to place Abra under its control. The request came after a spate of killings during the campaign season.

Between Jan. 12 and March 31, police recorded 17 gun attacks in Abra, resulting in 11 deaths. Some of the victims were either running for office or were known supporters of local candidates.

So far, the Comelec has not issued any decision on the Bernos petition.

At the press conference, Brig. Gen. David Peredo, Cordillera police director, urged calm in the run-up to election day.

He said that while some violent incidents might appear politically motivated, others “were triggered by feuds rather than the forthcoming elections.”

School fire

Meanwhile, a new concern emerged on Wednesday when an early morning fire gutted Dangdangla Elementary School in the provincial capital Bangued, one of the designated polling precincts.

Comelec Cordillera director Julius Torres said an investigation was ongoing and it remained unclear whether the fire was linked to the upcoming elections.

Speaking at a news forum in Manila on Wednesday, Comelec Chair George Erwin Garcia said the poll body would not transfer the voting venue following the fire which left only two classrooms intact.

Garcia assured voters that they would be able to cast their ballots in their village, adding that the Comelec could use the two remaining classrooms and other unaffected buildings. The Comelec, he said, was awaiting a report from authorities as to whether the fire, which started at 3 a.m., was arson or accidental.

“If the fire is intentional, even if the entire place was burned down, we will set up makeshift voting centers. That particular, single precinct may be critical and crucial in the votes for positions in the province,” he said.

According to Comelec data, there are 35,227 registered voters in Bangued grouped in 49 clustered precincts and 24 voting centers.

Garcia said the poll body had received appeals to place Abra under Comelec control, but these were not acted on due to fewer incidents of election-related violence following the deployment of more police officers.

Bangued and Pilar town were added to the province’s list of election hotspots in January under the “orange” (serious armed threats exist) category. /cb —with a report from Jerome Aning