ItsMyOwn

Use of “Blue Guards” during election period, opposed by Mayor Guiani

Cotabato City  - Mayor Japal J. Guiani, Jr. has expressed his opposition to a position of the Comelec Resolution No. 1951 - A pertaining to the use of the services of private security agencies to serve as bodyguards during the election period.

In a letter addressed to Commission on Elections Chairman Sixto Brilliantes, Mayor Guiani has stated his fear that these private security agencies may be used, in one way or the other, by unscrupulous individuals of groups in partisan election activities.

“It is a fact that there are politicians, particularly in the ARMM, who own and operate private security agencies. Thus, these private security guards are primarily indebted and loyal to their employer and not to the one they are assigned to look after”,

Moreover, the Mayor stated that in Cotabato City, it is more preferred to have the members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines or the Philippine National Police be assigned to politicians as body guards because of the fact that their allegiance is to the Republic of the Philippines and are duty bound to uphold the law. They are unlike the “blue guards” who are beholden to their respective security agencies who have their own political affiliations.

Meanwhile, with the current gun ban, Mayor Guiani has requested the Philippine Marines and the City PNP to intensify their operation kapkap bakal in all their checkpoints, concentrating on motorcycles.

“We all know that the guns for hire are all reported to be riding in tandem on a motorcycle so we want to make sure that all motorcyclists getting inside the city have no firearms with them. But also, four wheel timevehicles must also be given proper inspection all the ”

Visibility patrols of the Philippine Marines will also be intensified. The motorcycle-riding MBLT-1 members are roaming around the city day by day and are also conducting surprise checkpoints in different areas.

Furthermore, a request has also been forwarded by the City Barangay Officials to the PNP and the Philippine Army stating their need for the presence of even just one uniformed member to join them in conducting patrols around their communities since their tanods are no longer allowed to carry firearms because of the existing gun ban.