New DILG chief aims for ‘zero poll casualty’

MANILA, Philippines — Newly installed Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla wants “zero casualties” for the  midterm elections in 2025.

Remulla said they have identified some election hotspots and will continue to assess the situation in the coming weeks.

“We will enlist the help of all agencies in government to make it as peaceful as possible. Aim, zero casualties for 2025,” he told reporters yesterday.

The new Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) secretary said they are set to issue a list of election hotspots alongside the Philippine National Police.

“BARMM is one of them. Cagayan, maybe Nueva Ecija, Palawan, but those are premature, just off-the-cuff assessments,” he said. “We will get into a definite list by the next few weeks because the filing ended just yesterday. So we will know more and give a definite list afterwards.”

The former Cavite governor said that during his term in local government, they mobilized a patrol vehicle for every mayoral candidate to keep them safe.

Remulla said President Marcos issued him three marching orders as DILG chief.

The first is to institute structural reforms within the various bureaus and agencies under the department. The second is to digitize local government, and the third is to ensure a safe 2025 election.

Remulla said the DILG would prioritize a nationwide unified 911 response system in the country.

The former governor said that he would also personally lock down Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGOs) in the country, including one in the Island Cove property formerly owned by his family, which he said “will close down on Dec. 15 for good.”

Remulla is aiming for structural reforms and removal of politics in the promotion of officers within the PNP.

“There are a lot of things and I want to remove politics from the PNP. I want to make it merit based system on who gets promoted and who doesn’t,” Remulla said.

“It’s a top-heavy organization. I think we have to flatten it a little bit. It’s heavy up top, so many generals, so many layers. I think we need to do with less,” Remulla stated, adding that the 28-year-old law on the PNP could be outdated as it was made before the digital age.

For its part,