Bangued: The Commission on Elections-Cordillera Administrative Region (Comelec-CAR) said Thursday the change of leadership in the Abra Provincial Police Office was approved by the poll body. 'They sought the central office's approval and was given a thumbs up. The request went straight to the central office,' lawyer Julius Torres, Comelec-CAR director, said in a private message.
According to Philippines News Agency, on Wednesday, the Police Regional Office (PRO) in CAR administered the turnover of leadership of the Abra Police Provincial Office from Col. Gilbert Fati-ig to Col. Foiland Lopez. During an election period, movement, hiring, and dismissal of personnel is prohibited, except with the approval of the Comelec due to a compelling reason. It can be recalled that residents raised the issue of placing the province under Comelec control due to a spate of election-related violence.
The League of Mayors in the Philippines, La Paz Mayor Joseph Santo Ni±o Bernos, had canceled the Maharlika ng Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) game in the capital town of Bangued last March 29, which he said in a letter to the MPBL commissioner was due to a series of shooting incidents. Abra police record shows 18 such incidents from Jan. 12 to March 29-nine in Bangued; four in Tayum; two in Pilar; and one each in La Paz, Langiden, and San Juan. Of the number, 11 are under investigation, one was amicably settled, and seven are under preliminary investigation. Twelve people died in the shooting incidents, and eight were injured.
There were also four grenade incidents, all unsolved. The incidents are a 46.15 percent increase from the 13 cases from Oct. 31, 2024, to Jan. 11, 2025. Meanwhile, Lopez, who replaced Fati-ig as provincial police chief, held the same position from 2023 to 2024 during the barangay election. Brig. Gen. David Peredo Jr., PRO-CAR director, said in a message to the Philippine News Agency that the turnover aimed to ensure the safety of the Abre±os and that the May national and local elections would be peaceful and the voters would have the freedom to freely choose their candidates.