PRO8 to continue drive vs. PAGs remnants

By RPCRD, Police Regional Office 8
January 22, 2013

CAMP RUPERTO K. KANGLEON, Palo, Leyte  –  Despite the surrender of 19 members of private armed groups (PAGs) operating in Samar province last weekend including one of its leader, the Police Regional Office 8 (PRO8) will continue the crackdown against remaining PAG members who are still at large, especially those with existing arrest warrants.

“While the surrenderees committed themselves to help ensure the peaceful conduct of the elections, they will be under close monitoring to make sure they will not be utilized by individuals to advance their political interests,” Police Chief Superintendent Elmer Ragadio Soria, PRO8 director said.

Soria expressed confidence they would be able to “cleanse” the province of the remnants of PAGs and other potential sources of poll violence ahead of election day.

He added that PAG members who did not turn themselves in to police authorities despite efforts in negotiation for their surrender by his office would suffer the full force of the law and will be arrested if they have existing warrants of arrests to prevent the possibility that they could be used to sow violence in the forthcoming midterm elections.

PAG refers to a group of two or more persons being utilized by a certain politician or individual to sow fear or intimidation, possessing legal or illegal firearms to advance political interest.

Samar province is included in the list of 15 “priority areas” by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) with the two PAGs operating in the province’ first district that includes the city of Calbayog and 9 other municipalities.

To recall, 19 PAG members surrendered on Saturday morning to PRO8 that was personally witnessed by Police Director General Alan La Madrid Purisima, Chief of the Philippine National Police.

Of the 19 surrenderees, 14 belong to Montealto group including its alleged leader, Calbayog City Councilor Jonas Montealto, while 5 belong to the Moloboco group. The PAGs also turned-in assorted firearms, five from Montealto and four from the Moloboco group.

At least 17 members from the Montealto group while 12 from Moloboco group are still the subject of police operations by the Regional Special Operations Task Group (RSOTG-Samar).

In December last year, two Montealto and one Moloboco PAG members voluntarily surrendered to RSOTG while PAG leader Julito Aragon y Cachero alias Nonoy, listed as the Number One Most Wanted Person in Samar province and wanted for two counts of murder was killed in a shoot-out with police authorities on December 23, 2012 in the hinterlands of Brgy. Peñaplata, Gandara, Samar.

“Our main goal in this campaign is to make sure that it is really the sovereign will of the people that are reflected in the election results and not due to fear, violence and intimidation,” Soria further averred.

The police official also presented to the Chief PNP the RSOTG accomplishments in the campaign against loose firearms with 35 assorted long and short arms and 52 improvised PVC cannons locally known as “boga” accounted in various police operations.