CALAMBA CITY,
Laguna (PIA) – The La- guna Provincial Police Of- fice (PPO) has appealed
to motorists to cooperate
in the implementation
of election checkpoints
across the region in line
with the Barangay and
Sangguniang Kabataan
Elections on October 30.
Officer-in-Charge
Police Colonel Harold De- positar of the Laguna PPO
also reminded motorists to
always carry their vehicle
documents as part of the
security procedures.
“To our fellow
commuters and motorists
and everyone driving pub- lic and private vehicles,
please be prepared (when
passing through check- points in the province of
Laguna). These check- points are implemented to
maintain a peaceful and
secure election,” Depos- itar said in a radio forum
with the Philippine Information Agency-CALABARZON.
He added: “The
police officers will identify
the type of vehicle – whether it is a motorcycle, car,
truck, or any other used on
the road – to check if they
have the necessary documents such as the official
receipt, certificate of registration, and their driver’s
license.”
Joint Philippine National Police and
Comelec checkpoints
across the Calabarzon
region were activated on
August 28 and will be im- plemented until November
29, also the period of elec- tion and gun ban.
The Laguna
police chief also remind- ed the public that car- rying firearms without a
special permit from the
Commission on Elections
(Comelec) is strictly pro- hibited under the Omnibus
Election Code.
In a press brief- ing, PNP Chief Information
Officer PBGen. Redrico
Maranan said the “plain
view doctrine” will be ob- served in checkpoints
which means that motor- ists only need to lower
their windows and turn on
the lights inside their vehi- cles when passing through
the checkpoints.
Maranan also re- minded those conducting
checkpoints to respect the
human rights of motorists
by honoring their decision
to refuse a body search or
enforce an inspection of
their vehicle and compartments without consent.
Meanwhile, Depositar assured Laguna
residents that his office
is open to any reports or
concerns from the public
and called for their cooperation and support in ensuring a peaceful election.
“Let us be vigilant and inform the police
immediately if they find
out about any problems
involving candidates or
disturbances in the barangays,” he said.