AT LEAST 350 personnel of Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) will be deployed to Negros Oriental to secure the May 12 midterm elections.
Brigadier General Arnold Thomas Ibay, officer-in-charge of Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR), said they are now on full alert status and they will deploy the BCPO’s personnel to Negros Oriental in two days’ time before May 12.
“We will be deploying more personnel to Negros Oriental to ensure peaceful elections, and they will stay in the area until May 15,” he said.
He added that for NIR, they are deploying at least 7,000 security forces, which include the Philippine Army and Philippine Coast Guard, to secure the polling centers before and after the elections.
Ibay noted that they were also tasked to secure the ballots and automated counting machines in various polling centers.
Ibay said in Negros Oriental, the areas of Guihulngan City and La Libertad town have been tagged as areas of concern for the May 12 elections, while Negros Occidental, including Bacolod City, is a peaceful area.
He said in Siquijor, they have also enough personnel to secure the elections.
Ibay said they also have Task Force Kontra Bigay to intensify its crackdown on vote-buying and vote selling.
Ibay directed all personnel to be non-partisan and to ensure that this coming election will be safe and credible one. (MAP)