The Philippine National Police (PNP) will be deploying around 800 policemen, including members of the elite Special Action Force (SAF), to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to serve as augmentation force for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE).

Aside from SAF, PNP chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda, Jr. said the 800 augmentation force will come from the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) and other Police Regional Offices.

                                          photo: Noel Pabalate

Recent intelligence reports revealed that most of the monitored private armed groups (PAGs) are operating in the BARMM and the deployment is part of the move to ensure the peaceful and orderly conduct of elections in areas that need additional security personnel. 

“We are carefully managing the deployment of our personnel and distribution of resources based on the specific needs and assessments of different areas,” said Acorda during the multi-agency send-off ceremony at Camp Crame in Quezon City. 

Based on the PNP data, there are 361 barangays under the Red Category while a total of 1,271 are under the Orange Category. On the other hand, there are a total of 1,199 under the Yellow category. 

Red Category is described as areas of grave concern while Orange Category is described as areas of immediate concern where there is a serious armed threat. 

Yellow Category means areas of concern because of their history of election-related incidents in the last elections, possible employment of partisan armed groups, occurrence of politically motivated election-related cases and had been previously declared under Commission on Elections (Comelec) control.

Acorda said a total of 187,600 PNP personnel, which accounts for roughly 83 percent of the PNP force, will be tapped to perform election duties. Part of them, or around 5,888 policemen, are on standby to assume duties as Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs) in anticipation of the possible shortage of BEIs due to security concerns.

                                   photo: Noel Pabalate

The remaining policemen will be part of the reserve and administrative support complement. 

“We assure you that regular police operations will not be compromised due to this deployment, as all regular law enforcement and public safety operations are considered normal police election duties during this period,” said Acorda.

Peaceful so far

As of Oct. 23, PNP data revealed that there are a total of 22 incidents verified to be election-related while 23 cases are still under investigation.

This is 45 percent lower compared to the 2018 BSKE and 18.5 percent lower compared to the 2022 BSKE.

“Thus far, the first few days  of the 9-day campaign period have been characterized as relatively peaceful as no significant untoward incidents or serious security issues of national concern were recorded,” said Acorda.

“With only seven days left until election day, we have successfully contained and addressed potential law enforcement concerns that may arise. These include activities of private armed groups, intense political rivalries among candidates, election-related incidents, election areas of concern, and the issue of loose firearms,” he added.

Vote-buying, vote selling

Acorda said they will be focusing on major concerns during elections, particularly on vote-buying and vote-selling, which he said, compromise the credibility of elections. 

“Our police units and territorial forces are now focusing their attention on addressing this issue. However, intervening in private transactions between buyers and sellers of votes may present complexities due to factors such as the act itself, the mode of exchange, and the need for evidence in prosecution,” said Acorda.

He said this is the reason why government intervention is needed with the help of various sectors and stakeholders.