BAGUIO CITY – The Police Regional Office-Cordillera Administrative Region (PROCAR) has deployed an additional 100 policemen to Abra province to help strengthen the implementation of checkpoint operations as the May 12 national and local elections near.
In a phone interview on Friday, Brig. Gen. David Peredo, PROCAR director, said, “We have ordered that the security operations be strengthened with the setting up of more checkpoints in the area.”
To be able to implement the order, Peredo said they have deployed more personnel to augment the current police force and ensure the safety of the public.
It can be recalled that several shooting incidents have been recorded in Abra as early as February this year, sowing fear among the public.
The most recent is the shooting of a teacher and a dentist associated with a political group while inside a restaurant.
The PROCAR leadership assured that they are committed to ensuring peace and order not just in Abra, but the whole region, especially now that the local campaign period is in effect.
Peredo said that among the measures he ordered is the setting up of more checkpoints, intensifying of police operations, regular patrolling in communities, and dismantling of syndicates.
Currently, there are 12 municipalities in Abra classified under the orange category, which indicates the presence of armed groups.
During one of the recent Regional Joint Security Coordinating Council (RJSCC) meetings, Peredo said the categorization is based on historical data and possibilities.
“The category is not aimed at sowing fear among the population, it is intended for us, to guide us in our actions and decisions as to maintenance of peace and order,” he said. **Liza Agoot
