PRO-7 chief: 'No such thing as permit to campaign'

From the Philippine Information Agency (Feb 23): PRO-7 chief: 'No such thing as permit to campaign'

There is no such thing as "permit to campaign," according to police regional director Manuel Gaerlan during an informal press encounter at the Governor's mansion on February 22.

Commenting on the possible entry of rebel groups to seek funds as campaign access fees in communist rebel groups affected areas, Dir. Gaerlan said that "politicians are not paying permits to campaign, but are merely paying for plain and simple extortion."

Military intelligence sources have warned the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) in Bohol over the reported re-entry of communist rebels in time for the elections.

The same military reports bared that the return of the insurgents would be to raise funds from politicians they can threaten into paying "permit to campaign and access fees to rebel-controlled areas," despite the fact that the Philippine Army has declared Bohol free from insurgency since 2010.

Also, PPOC sources added that the rebel's white area committee members have been in a flurry of organizing activities and propping up their mass base to be able to present a threat which would also stir contractors and disaster rehabilitation project implementers into submitting what the former rebels claim as revolutionary taxes from their reconstruction project spending.

Recently, the New People's Army through its legal front the National Democratic Front (NDF) issued a statement urging people to report to them drug lords, criminals, and politicians who are involved in the drug trade.

The press material, signed by Bohol Island NDF liaison officer Jose Ignacio, asked citizens to report to them any person into the illegal drug trade.

Military intelligence sources, however, claimed that the letter was an attempt to fool politicians into thinking that the insurgents have returned, when in fact, there is nothing to support such claims.

C/Supt. Gaerlan asked politicians to reports to anybody they feel comfortable with when they receive any extortion letter demanding for said fees.

"Go and report to the chiefs of police, Camp Dagohoy, the Civilian Armed Forces for Geographical Units (CAFGU) detachment heads, Regional Public Safety Battalion heads or the Army's Special Forces when you get any of these demand letters," Gaerlan said.

http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/1101456282712/pro-7-chief-no-such-thing-as-permit-to-campaign-