Recently there have been a spate of assassinations and assassination attempts against current and former local government officials. These have each been catalogued on my Retards in the Government series. In fact there is hardly a week that goes by when at least one current or former local official is not either assassinated or wounded in an assassination attempt. Of this current crop of killings the PNP says it's nothing to be alarmed about.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1735645/pnp-chief-recent-gun-attacks-on-local-govt-officials-not-yet-alarming |
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. said Monday that the gun attacks on local government officials recently are “not yet alarming.”However, PNP investigators are still attempting to determine the purpose of the separate shooting incidents, he noted, paying particular attention to the varying situations and potential motives for the fatal and near-fatal events, which took place two to three days apart in Lanao del Sur, Nueva Vizcaya, and Pasay City in Metro Manila.
Azurin said that the gun attacks on the provincial officials are “isolated” cases but still need a thorough investigation by the police.
"I would say that it’s not yet alarming because we’re still determining – the situations and the reasons are different why these people were killed. As I said, it’s either political, personal, business rivalry, or other reasons these killings are happening."
“Incidentally siguro (maybe), it just so happened na (that) they are in public service,” he also said
It might "just so happen" that these men are in public service?" How did this guy become PNP Chief? Contrary to his laid back approach House Speaker Romualdez has called an emergency meeting to discuss these killings.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1735642/romualdez-calls-for-emergency-meeting-with-dilg-pnp-amid-spate-of-violence |
House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez has called for an emergency meeting with officials of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) amid the recent spate of violence reported across the country.
Romualdez, in a statement on Sunday, said that the reports of high-profile crimes are alarming, leading him to seek a meeting with the two agencies to know what their actions and responses are.
The meeting is expected to be held on Monday.
“It’s alarming because it seems that almost every week there are news reports about high-profile killings,” Romualdez said.
“We want to know from the PNP and the DILG what steps are being taken to stop these kinds of heinous crimes,” he added.
According to Romualdez, several of the high-profile incidents appeared to be linked to politics because most of the recent victims are politicians or are involved with public service.
This guy is at least closer to the truth about the situation. Every week, as I document in this blog and on Youtube there are high-profile killings of or attempts to kill local government officials. It is nothing new and has been going on since forever in this nation. So, when the PNP says there is no link between these killings you have to ask yourself how can they be so stupid?
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| https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/27/23/pnp-no-link-among-recent-attacks-against-local-officials |
The recent attacks against some local officials, which left several people dead, are likely not related, the Philippine National Police said Monday.
"As of now, we have not established or seen any link with respect to the three cases," PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo told ANC's "Rundown".
"Nonetheless, we are beefing (up) our security, particularly the personnel security detail of not only our elected officials but also appointed officials, because of these recent attacks."
The link between these three cases and with all the other assassinations and attempted assassinations of local officials is that they are either current or former politicians. POLITICS is the link!
Are the PNP and everyone else so unaware assassination is a political tool in the Philippines? It is so common that no one bats an eye unless a whole lot of assassinations happen in a short amount of time. When they are spread out as they usually are it is easy to overlook them.
This fact, assassination being a political tool, is not being taken into account by the DILG.
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| https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/02/28/23/more-cops-tougher-laws-dilg-seeks-to-stop-slay-tries-vs-politicos |
The Department of the Interior and Local Government is seeking a bigger budget for more police recruits and tougher laws on vehicle purchases to stop high profile slay attempts on politicians.
Speaking with TeleRadyo, Abalos said the PNP is now revising its threat assessments for local officials nationwide.
(They are revising their threat assessment on politicians who are facing threats so they can help preempt these.)
(The good old police work and intelligence work are complete here.)
The official also said they have reshuffled some cops to places where their tactical skills are more needed.
Abalos said the DILG is seeking a bigger budget for more police recruits.
(Every year, there are 10,000 new police recruits. For the last 2 years, probably because of the pandemic, there have only been 1,000 recruits. Speaker Romualdez said he'll speak with Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman about restoring the budget.)
Abalos also asked the congressmen to look into tightening laws governing car purchases.
(If you look at the cars that were used recently, some of them are unregistered or have changed ownership so may times. Speaker promised that they can come up with a law...requiring owners to register their vehicles immediately after purchase.)
The official also said they will intensify their campaign against loose firearms.
While tightening the laws and employing more cops is a good thing it's not going to stop political assassinations. What needs to change is the us versus them mentality of Filipino politics. It boils down to clan feuds and dynastic politics. Even Ferdinand Marcos Sr. was convicted of assassinating his father's political rival. His conviction was overturned by Supreme Court Justice Jose P. Laurel, a family friend, who convinced his fellow judges to toss out his conviction because of the promise he showed.
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| https://www.facebook.com/PhilippineSTAR/photos/a.773360509484299/773360669484283/?type=3 |
Dynastic politics, political rivalries, and corrupt government officials. Those are three reasons among many why assassination will remain a political tool despite whatever laws are passed or how many cops are on the streets.
The most recent high profile assassination is of the governor of Negros Occidental who was killed inside his home by a group of former soldiers. The reaction has been nothing short of hypocritical.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1196657 |
Senator Imee Marcos on Sunday suggested that Negros Oriental be placed under a state of emergency for justice to be swiftly served following the brutal slaying of Governor Roel Degamo and eight others.
Marcos, who had worked with Degamo in the Governors’ League when she was still the governor of Ilocos Norte, also said Negros Oriental should be locked down so those who were behind the killing could not leave the province.
"I am calling for the declaration of state of emergency in the entire province of Negros Oriental as soon as possible. This needs to stop and not only the hitmen or the murderers but also the mastermind, their paymasters, and whoever conspired to make this happen should be apprehended," Marcos said during an interview after she visited the wake of Degamo in Dumaguete City.
She expressed hope that the arrested suspects will cooperate and could lead to the identification of other individuals responsible for Saturday morning’s gun attack.
"Let us leave no stone unturned and no culprits unpunished. This cannot go unpunished and the perpetrators of this heinous crime, barbaric as it is and cowardly, should be punished as soon as possible," she said.
Meanwhile, other senators also condemned the killings and asked authorities to swiftly solve the case.
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri expressed alarm over the surge of assassinations of local chief executives in the past weeks.
Zubiri was referring to the attack against Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong, the recent ambush on Datu Montawal, Maguindanao del Sur Mayor Ohto Montawal, and the killing of Vice Mayor Rommel Almeda in Cagayan.
"For this ambush to happen while Gov. Degamo was in the middle of attending to 4Ps [Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program] beneficiaries is absolutely appalling. It is sick and heartless, and the suspects should rot in jail. Heads must roll, and the PNP [Philippine National Police] must crack down on this case immediately," Zubiri said in a statement.
"Every single incident like this ambush puts a dent in our people’s trust in the government. It is a failure of intelligence, a failure of police visibility, a failure of our peace and security efforts," he added.
Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva said the PNP must put an end to the killings and not wait for a similar incident to happen again.
"These killings must end now. These acts of violence and lawlessness are a clear display of arrogance against our government. We should never be accustomed to these senseless killings. We call on the PNP to act swiftly and put these criminals behind bars," Villanueva said in a separate statement.
Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. said such incidents are not merely acts against the persons who were targeted, but also an attack against the people who elected them and against democracy itself.
"They must put to stop lip service and instead make sure they put an end to this kind of lawlessness. Parang pinaglalaruan na lang sila ng mga kriminal kasi sa loob pa mismo ng kanyang tahanan (They are being fooled by these criminals because [it actually happened] inside his home]," Revilla said.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said any form of violence and intimidation have no place in a civilized and democratic society like the Philippines.
"I call on authorities to bring the assailants before the court of law, and ensure that justice is served as soon as possible," Gatchalian said.
Citing the shooting incidents as "gangland-style" executed in broad daylight, Senator Grace Poe said it etched fears in Filipinos about how easily lives can be taken even of people who are in power.
"We call on the police and other law enforcement agencies to wield their authority against these criminals who undermine the peace and order in our country," Poe said in a separate statement.
"Authorities must act quickly before the next target falls, and to assure our people that the open season for killings will not come upon us."
Senator Lito Lapid said the killing showed neglect not only of life but also of democracy and the law.
"We strongly condemn this crime and I am with everyone calling for justice for their loved ones and the people of Negros Oriental," Lapid said.
Why do these people not speak out every single time a barangay chairman or village councilor is assassinated? Surely they are not so obtuse as to be unaware that assassination is a political tool in the Philippines. But these assassinations are not going to stop. They know it and we all know it.
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