malaysiangThe Police Regional Office (PRO) 5 (Bicol) is confident it will achieve its goal of making the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) secure, accurate, free, and fair, based on the cooperation of all stakeholders from different provinces. On Saturday, PRO-5 lured thousands of participants to join a solidarity cycling event simultaneously held in all areas of the Police Provincial Offices (PPOs) in the region. Brig. Gen. Westrimundo Obinque, PRO-5 director, thanked the participants for promoting unity and cooperation for the Oct. 30 polls. ‘Your active participation in this event serves as a powerful demonstration of the strength of our relationships and the unity of our shared purpose: to ensure a clean, peaceful, and safe election this year,” Obinque said in his message at Camp Gen. Ola, the PRO-5’s headquarters. He said the cycling event aimed to foster unity among stakeholders and at the same time, promote health and wellness. “Together, we are forging a path towards a brighter and more democratic future for our community, where the principles of fairness and integrity prevail,’ he said. Maria Aurea Bo-Bunao, Commission on Elections – Albay supervisor, also joined the fun ride. “Napaka-importante ng presensiya ng bawat isa sa araw na ito, para mapatunayan na sama-sama tayo sa eleksiyon na ito. Hindi lang po ito (Everyone’s presence on this day is very important, to prove that we are together in this election. It’s not just the) Comelec, Department of Education, Philippine National Police at (and) Armed Forces of the Philippines. Bawat isa sa atin ay may kanya-kanyang (Each one of us has) roles to play,” Bunao said in her message. She also reminded that the Comelec is serious in its campaign against vote buying, which she called the ‘cancer of democracy.’ ‘Sama-sama po tayo. ‘Pag may nalaman kayo, isumbong ninyo agad (Let’s unite. If you know something, report it immediately),” she added. A tree-planting activity was also conducted in Barangay Lamba. Meanwhile, in Nabua, Camarines Sur, more than 800 candidates for the BSKE made an integrity pledge for violence-free and honest elections. “We are thankful for their cooperation and support. This only shows that they are sincere. We are expecting that they will follow what they have pledged about,” said Lt. Col. Jan King Calipay, Nabua chief of police. Based on the data of Comelec-Bicol, of the 1,063 villages in Camarines Sur, only 13 belong to the orange category or with previous records of election-related conflicts that can be managed while 1,050 are under the green category or without security concerns and are generally peaceful and orderly.
Source: Philippines News Agency
