THE Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) has deployed 96 personnel to various polling centers in Bacolod City on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, for the national and local elections on May 12.
Colonel Joeresty Coronica, BCPO director, said the Commission on Elections (Comelec) conducted the final testing and sealing of Automated Counting Machines (ACMs) on Wednesday morning.
He said they transported the ACMs from the Comelec hub from the Bacolod Arts and Youth Sports Center (BaysCenter) to at least 48 polling centers or 398 polling precincts around 5:03 a.m.
Coronica added they also transported the ballot boxes from the City Treasurer's Office (CTO) to the polling centers.
He noted that at every polling center, they will deploy two personnel and they will stay in the area until after the elections.
Coronica said they are now on full alert status and all leave credits of their personnel are also temporarily canceled, except those who applied for maternity and sick leave.
He said the police were also tasked to convoy the Board Electoral Inspectors (BEI) to transport the election paraphernalia from the polling centers to the canvassing area at the Bacolod City Government Center.
He added that all election paraphernalia, including the ACMs, will be returned to the CTO.
Moreover, instead of 350 cops, Coronica said they deployed a total of 310 personnel to Negros Oriental on Tuesday, May 6, to secure the May 12 midterm elections.
He said they reduced the number of personnel for Negros Oriental because they also need more policemen in Bacolod City.
Brigadier General Arnold Thomas Ibay, officer-in-charge of Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR), earlier said 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 in Negros Island Region.
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. (MAP)