Police led unity walk, prayers,

S.A.F.E polls covenant signing

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA)—Praying for the conduct of Secure, Accurate and Fair Elections in 2025, Bohol Provincial Police under Police Colonel Arnel Banzon dedicated a Holy Mass, Unity Walk, Ecumenical Prayers and Covenant signing for both candidates, the election officials, uniformed personnel and stakeholders, three days before the local election campaign starts.

Uniformed personnel from the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippine, Bureau of Fire Protection, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and the Philippine Coast Guard, police interns, peace advocacy groups and supporters gathered at the Bohol Police Provincial Office Covered Court for the symbolic signing of the peace covenant.

The Covenant for Secure, Accurate, Fair Elections (SAFE) 2025 states that signatories each commit to maintain peace and order by refraining from acts of violence, intimidation or threats against opponents and their supports, and pledges to adhere to all election laws, rules and regulations and refrain from illegal activities that could disrupt the fairness of the polls.

Signatories also commit to engage in respectful political discourse and focus on addressing relevant issues without resorting to personal attacks, defamation of spreading false information about opponents to do away with coercion, armed groups or by any force to influence voters or intimidate political opponents.

Participants during the events also vowed to ensure that campaign activities, rallies and public appearances are conducted peacefully and handle supporters from engaging in disruptive behavior, resolve conflicts through legal and peaceful means and report any incidents of violence to appropriate authorities.

Camp Dagohoy Chief of the Provincial Community Affairs and Development Unit, Police Lieutenant Colonel Norman Nuez, speaking for Col Banzon assured that the police force would always be impartial to both side of the political fence, stressing that the force would always be faithful to their mission of SAFE elections.

Bohol Commission on Elections (Comelec) provincial supervisor Atty Eliseo Labaria, in his keynote address, called on candidates to abide by the election laws and set a good example to the community.

He also reminded candidates on the prohibitions, especially for incumbent officials in the use of government resources in the campaign.

Atty Labaria also asked members of the uniformed personnel to help the poll body in its upcoming activity in Operation Baklas.

Anytime soon, we will be moving around and take down election paraphernalia that do not conform to the law as to size, location and we will mark each material taken down, as evidence for the Comelec in the implementation of the laws, the lawyer said.

Candidates have to be very careful with their election materials, as the number of visible tarpaulins on a certain location can already prove how much the candidate spent for it, which must be reported in the Statements of Contributions and Expenditures, Labaria said.

The Comelec has already disqualified candidates who failed to file their SOCE. (RAHC/PIA-7/Bohol)

NO TO VOTEBUYING. Retired police major general Edgardo Ingking, who heads the No to Votebuying coalition, led the candidates and stakeholders in the pledge to support peaceful and fair elections during the police-led pre-election activities. (PIAbohol)