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Abra cops ready to secure teachers, stand in as poll workers

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<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Personnel of the Abra provincial police hold an assembly at Camp Col. Juan Villamor Calaba in Bangued, Abra on May 23, 2022 in this photo from the Abra Police Provincial Office Facebook page" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/news/10/30/abra.jpg"/><figcaption>Personnel of the Abra provincial police hold an assembly at Camp Col. Juan Villamor Calaba in Bangued, Abra on May 23, 2022 in this photo from the Abra Police Provincial Office Facebook page</figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA — Police officers in Abra have been trained for election duty and many are on standby in case more teachers tapped to be members of electoral boards, the provincial police said Monday.</p><p>The Commission on Elections said Sunday that 29 teachers had withdrawn from election duty but said that they did not do so because of intimidation.</p><p>&quot;Mahigit 100 ang na-train na election board na [Philippine National Police],&quot; Police Capt. Ronaldo Eslabra, spokesperson of the Abra Police Provincial Office, told TeleRadyo Serbisyo on election day.</p><p>He said that some had already been deployed to replace the teachers who withdrew and that others are at the command center and will be sent out as needed.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/30/23/security-forces-on-alert-as-filipinos-vote-in-barangay-polls">Security forces on alert as Filipinos vote in barangay polls</a></li></ul><p>&quot;Sobra-sobra yung trained (We trained more than enough),&quot; he said.</p><p>He added that the PNP had not received reports of teachers being intimidated into withdrawing as poll workers but said that it is something that local police anticipate during elections.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2858490" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><div><strong>&#x27;Teachers cited personal reasons&#x27;</strong></div><p>He said that teachers who withdrew cited their health, the distance from their homes to their assigned precincts and other unspecified personal reasons. </p><p>&quot;Kung wala silang ire-report — hindi nila ibibigay yung totoong reason nila, sasabihin lang personal reason — ay hindi namin sila mapilit,&quot; he said, adding incidents of harassment and intimidation should be reported to the police.</p><p>(If they do not report these — if they do not give the real reason and only cite &#x27;personal reasons&#x27; — we cannot force them to)</p><p>Eslabra said that the provincial police has been augmented by 108 officers from the regional police office in light of reports of election-related violence in the province.</p><p>Personnel from the Army and the police Special Action Force, Regional Mobile Force Battalion and Provincial Mobile Force Company are also helping with security for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, the first since 2018.</p><div><strong>Bets back out</strong></div><p>Some candidates — more than 200, according to the Commission on Elections — have also withdrawn from the elections.</p><p>Eslabra said some have cited lack of funds to run a campaign and low chances of being elected. Others have withdrawn to avoid conflict.</p><p>&quot;&#x27;Yung kaugalian ng mga elders dito sa Abra na magbigayan na lang. Dahil patapos naman na yung termino, sila na lang sa susunod,&quot; he said. </p><p>(According to the customs of the elders in Abra, some chose to withdraw and said they will just run in the next elections.)</p><p>Others found that they were running against relatives and chose to give way to avoid rifts between families, he said.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2857084" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

The Comelec said Sunday that 29 teachers had withdrawn from election duty but said that they did not do so because of intimidation.