Article by:
Christopher Lloyd Caliwan
MANILA – More than 30,000 personnel of the Philippine National Police (PNP) are set to participate in the local absentee voting (LAV) for the 2022 national and local elections for three days, a PNP official said Monday.
A total of 26,813 cops assigned in police regional offices and 3,248 cops assigned to the national headquarters in Camp Crame will avail the LAV on April 27, 28 and 29, PNP public information office chief Brig. Gen. Roderick Alba said. They may vote on any of these days from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.
“The venue is in multi-purpose center, Camp Crame Quezon City for Crame-based PNP personnel while police provincial offices are in-charge for the venue of LAV for PNP personnel in PROs,” Alba told reporters.
The manner of voting for LAV is manual where they have to write down the names of their candidates on the official ballot.
They will be voting for national positions only, one each for president and vice president, 12 senators and one party-list group.
Under LAV, voters are allowed to vote in places where they are not registered voters but where they are temporarily assigned to perform election duties on election day, or in the case of media, who will not be able to vote due to the performance of their functions in covering and reporting on the elections.
Meanwhile, PNP chief Gen. Dionardo Carlos said the PNP, under his leadership, has made preparations to ensure honest, orderly and peaceful elections.
Carlos said he has complied with the directive of higher authorities to “make the necessary contingency plans after the May 9, onwards (and) a good transition to the next leadership of this country.”
“We made sure that the PNP will perform professionally for a peaceful election which means people will be able to come out to vote, their votes not bought, without any fear and on their free will," Carlos said. “We’re just looking at what's happening on a day-to-day, tweaking the plans if needed."
Asked if he going to endorse a successor, Carlos said: “None because the next one would be an OIC (officer-in-charge) PNP caretaker. It will be up to the next administration, after June 30, that will choose the PNP chief.”
Carlos is set to retire on May 8 when he reaches the mandatory age of 56. It comes a day before the May 9 elections.
Among the officials who can succeed Carlos are Lt. Gen. Rhodel Sermonia, PNP’s No. 2 man as the deputy chief for administration; and Lt. Gen. Vicente Danao, the PNP’s No. 4 man as chief of the PNP Directorial Staff.
The PNP’s No. 3 man, PNP deputy chief for operations Lt. Gen. Ferdinand Divina, is due to retire on May 2 or six days before the scheduled retirement of Carlos. (PNA)
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