Six elected gov’t officials report threats on life

By Jennifer P. Rendon

Six local chief executives (LCEs) reported receiving threats to their lives.

The Police Regional Office (PRO) 6 said that the number was based on the dialogue made by field commanders with elected government officials, as of March 14.

Brigadier General Leo Francisco, Western Visayas police chief, did not go into details on the identities of the six LCEs except that four of them are mayors while two are vice mayors.

Five of them are from Iloilo province while one is in Negros Occidental.

Francisco said the Regional Intelligence Division (RID) will conduct threat validation and assessment on the LCEs.

“In the meantime, we are providing security on a case-to-case basis,” he said.

By case-to-case basis, some will be given security if they’re going on official functions.

“Pero meron din ayaw ng may security,” he said.

Once these threats are validated, permanent security detail will be provided to them.

In verifying the threat level, Francisco earlier said that they have pre-determined guidelines and criteria.

“Once the assessment is done, we will pass it to the PSPG (Police Security and Protection Group) and the PNP chief will approve it,” he said.

But a PNP regional director has also the authority to grant police security for those who have “valid threat security threats” for a certain period of time.

Those that are under threat could be given a maximum of two police security detail.

The PSPG is a PNP unit that secures and protects elected and appointed national government officials; members of the diplomatic corps and visiting foreign dignitaries; delegates and/or participants during special events, private individuals authorized to be given protection, and vital government installations.