MANILA – A ranking official appealed to candidates in the May 9 national and local elections not to use the Philippine National Police (PNP) in their propaganda war.

Brig. Gen. Matthew Baccay, Police Regional Office-Central Luzon (PRO-3) chief, issued the statement after cops were implicated in a supposed erroneous crowd estimate of the campaign rally of Vice President Leni Robredo and her running mate, Sen. Francis Pangilinan, at a mall in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga on April 9.

Cops reportedly estimated the crowd at more than 220,000, resulting in negative reactions as they were accused of allowing overcrowding when the venue could only hold about 70,000.

Baccay said the PNP is not supposed to take sides and will ensure that the elections remain peaceful and orderly.

“We remain to be apolitical, and it is our fervent hope that elections 2022 will be safe, accurate, free, and fair,” he told the Philippine News Agency in a Viber message on Sunday.

Baccay had already clarified that the figures came from rally organizers.

“No, the estimate of 220,000 came from the organizers. We are not in the business of making estimates. We provide route and area security only,” he said in a previous interview.

Acting San Fernando, Pampanga police chief Lt. Col. Eugene Marcelo said in an earlier interview that the crowd numbered just about 70,000, “not 200,000 as being claimed on various media platforms. (PNA)