- More than 7,000 police deployed in Region XI for Monday’s elections
THE POLICE Regional Office (PRO) XI will deploy over 7,000 personnel to ensure the security of the local and national elections on Monday, May 12.
According to Major Catherine Dela Rey, spokesperson for PRO XI, comprehensive security measures are now in place for the upcoming elections. A total of 7,580 police personnel will be deployed across the Davao Region to secure 2,936 polling centers.
Dela Rey explained that a minimum of two police officers will be assigned to each polling center.
“Of course, our PNP personnel have already been deployed to the various polling centers [every school] because the transport of the automatic counting machines has already started. For the whole of PRO XI, we have 7,580 personnel securing a total of 2,936 polling centers,” she stated.
She further emphasized the commitment of the deployed officers: “Those deployed are not allowed to go home; they are on standby in the schools. They are not permitted to leave the ACMs until the election process, including the counting of votes, is finished.”
“The PNP will only be pulled out at the same time as the ACMs are retrieved,” she added.
Meanwhile, Captain Hazel Caballero, the spokesperson for the Davao City Police Office (DCPO), said they are making every effort to provide security for the city’s 266 polling centers.
“We have 2,007 deployable personnel, including 534 PNP personnel, providing security in 266 polling centers,” she said.
Captain Caballero also expressed the DCPO’s hopes for a peaceful election: “As of today, we have identified no areas of concern, and we have had no incidents of election-related violence. The DCPO is continuously praying for this to remain the case until the election is finished, to maintain Davao City’s discipline and ensure no untoward incidents occur before, during, or after the elections.”
Photo courtesy of Rhoda Grace B Saron
