CAMP RAFAEL C. RODRIGUEZ, Butuan City – The Police Regional Office-13 is on heightened alert and will dispatch more peacekeeping forces in the Caraga region as the campaign period for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) on October 30 starts on Thursday, October 19.

Personnel deployment will extend past the elections until All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days on November 1 and 2, the PRO-13 said.
As part of security measures, the PRO-13 will intensify checkpoint operations and order all regional, provincial, and city mobile force commanders and provincial and city directors as well as municipal chiefs of police to be in their respective posts to immediately command and supervise personnel for any untoward incidents.
PRO-13 is prepared to ensure the safety and security in the campaign period for the BSKE from October 19 to 28, said PRO-13 Regional Public Information Office chief Police Major Jennifer S. Ometer.
PRO-13 Director Police Brig. Gen. Kirby John B. Kraft said security preparations are in place, including intensified law enforcement and public safety operations.
Among the expected activities of BSKE candidates are in-person campaigns, rallies, conventions, motorcades, caravans, and the “Miting de Avance.”
Police personnel with relatives running in the BSKE have been reassigned to other units to guarantee transparent and impartial public service.
“The peace and order situation in the region is generally peaceful despite a few places being categorized as areas of concern,” Kraft said. “We also encourage the cooperation of the civilians and all stakeholders to report and inform us of any suspicious elements or unusual activities in their communities.”
Kraft reminded police officers of PRO-13 to remain non-partisan.