Philippine National Police Director General Jesus Verzosa will not back the newly designated military chief, Lt. Gen. Delfin Bangit, should he attempt to install President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as holdover president in the event of a failure of the May 10 election.
“According to the Constitution, we must have a new president after June 30,” Verzosa told the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Tuesday.
The PNP chief also vowed to thwart unlawful attempts to undermine the electoral process in May and the takeover of any government institution, especially the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
The 120,000-strong police organization has enough resources to “protect the rights of our people” and will remain loyal to the Constitution, Verzosa said.
“We will not support any unconstitutional acts. We will do all things to preserve our democracy and the democratic processes,” Verzosa said. “That’s why it’s very important that our Supreme Court is intact,” he added.
There was no reason, he said, to suspect that Ms Arroyo would use the Armed forces of the Philippines (AFP) to create an artificial power vacuum.
Nonetheless, the PNP has been preparing for the possibility of failure of elections, he said.
Verzosa said he had directed PNP lawyers to study the legal implications. “We are considering all scenarios, including failure of elections. We are getting ready with our legal actions,” he said.
Even his close ties to Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno, one of Ms Arroyo’s most trusted lieutenants, will not sway him into obeying illegal orders, he said.
Asked what he would do if Bangit installed Ms Arroyo as holdover president after June 30 in case of failure of elections, the PNP chief said he would seek guidance from the Supreme Court.
Ms Arroyo’s term ends on June 30 when the newly elected President takes his oath of office.
Some sectors have expressed fears that sabotaging the automated elections either through massive power outages on Election Day or manipulation of results could lead to failure of elections in which no new president is proclaimed by June 30.
What would he say to Ms Arroyo if she herself ordered him to let her remain in Malacañang after June 30? He said: “Ma’am, I think it’s not right.”
Ms Arroyo is accused of corruption, violation of human rights, among other things, and may face suits after she steps down. Her decision to run for a congressional seat in Pampanga, which she is expected to win, is aimed at giving her some form of immunity, according to analysts.
Bangit’s appointment as new AFP chief of staff fueled speculations that Ms Arroyo would try to hold on to power by using the military in disrupting the coming elections.
A member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1978, Bangit took over the AFP leadership from Gen. Victor Ibrado who bowed out of service Wednesday after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56.
Oplan August Moon
Verzosa doused insinuations that Ms Arroyo might appoint Director Roberto Rosales, Metro Manila police chief, to replace him soon as part of the so-called “Oplan August Moon.”
The purported plot was supposedly aimed at installing members of PMA Class 1978, which adopted Ms Arroyo as its “mistah” (classmate), in key positions in the PNP and AFP to let the President have total control of the police and the military.
Ambassadorial post
Verzosa dismissed as speculation the stories that he was offered an ambassadorial position for him to opt for an early retirement and let Rosales take the helm of the PNP.
“This is actually the first time that I heard of such rumors,” he said, smiling.
Verzosa said he was bent on finishing his police career on Dec. 25 (his 56th birthday) while working for the attainment of the PNP’s Integrated Transformation Program.
“I want to leave the PNP as a more credible, efficient and competent organization. That would be my legacy,” he said.
Power outages
Rumors about the looming failure of elections were further amplified by power outages across the archipelago and questions over the ability of the Comelec to conduct the country’s first automated elections nationwide.
The PNP has been talking with other sectors to ensure the orderly conduct of the local and national elections.
Asked if the PNP could protect the people in the event of an election failure, he answered: “Yes, definitely. But we need your support.”
Guard vs deliberate delay
Verzosa urged the public to stay vigilant and help the police in guarding against groups plotting to damage the country’s democratic institutions.
Aside from possible technical glitches of the precinct count optical scan machines, Verzosa said the people must be wary of individuals who might deliberately delay the voting inside polling places.
Under the automated elections system, three to five polling precincts were clustered into one. Each clustered precinct would have about 1,000 registered voters.
The Comelec said it decided to “cluster” the precincts to save on the cost of leasing the voting and counting machines.
In previous elections, in which voting and counting were done manually, there were about 200 voters for every precinct.
“Some groups or politicians might order their supporters to intentionally stay longer inside the precinct to cast their ballots to prevent others from voting,” Verzosa said.
“If that happens, then we will have problems there,” he added.
Manual voting areas
The police will strictly monitor areas where the Comelec might implement manual voting, according to Verzosa.
He said election commissioners would furnish the PNP with the list of these places in the next few days.
The police and the military are closely working with the Comelec in enforcing election laws, according to the PNP chief.
“Everything we are doing, such as the conduct of checkpoints, the enforcement of the gun ban and limiting the security escorts of politicians, are aimed at ensuring the success of the elections,” Verzosa said.
Asked what would constitute an illegal act, he replied: “The capture of government agencies, the violation of the right on domicile and even the (control) of the media.”
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