Entire Moises Padilla police

force relieved from duty

By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

As part of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) taking control of Moises Padilla, all Moises Padilla Municipal Police Station personnel were relieved of duty yesterday morning. Among those released, as confirmed by Police Regional Office-6 (PRO-6) director, Police Brigadier General John Bulalacao, include local police chief, Police Captain Junji Liba.

He noted, 76 members of the PRO-6 Regional Mobile Force Battalion, led by Liba’s replacement, Police Lt. Colonel Adrian Acollador, will take over the local police force.

In addition, the Philippine Army has also sent an additional 150 personnel to augment the existing police force deployed to the Negros Occidental municipality.

Over the weekend, the Comelec en banc formally placed Moises Padilla under their control.

Calls for the town to be placed under Comelec control have been raised after the recent killings, along with earlier clashes between government forces and the New People’s Army (NPA). Aside from Negros Occidental Vice Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson recommending Comelec control over the municipality, the Western Visayas Regional Joint Security Control Center earlier signed a resolution making the same recommendation.

Over the last few weeks, Moises Padilla Municipal Councilor Jolomar Hilario was gunned down by suspected NPA hitmen; while two other Moises Padilla personalities, Municipal Councilor Michael Garcia and former Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) President Mark Garcia, were killed while campaigning in the town’s Barangay Inolingan.

Moises Padilla is currently designated a “Category Red,” which means there is an intense political rivalry and presence of armed groups./DGB, WDJ