BACOLOD CITY – Three-hundred ten personnel of the Bacolod City Police Office arrived in Negros Oriental on Tuesday, May 6, to augment security in the province for the May 12 mid-term elections.
310 cops from Bacolod deployed to Negros Oriental for elections
Police Lt. Stephen Polinar, spokesperson for the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office, said that they have been deployed to voting centers after they were welcomed by the provincial police force in a ceremony at the parade grounds on Tuesday afternoon.
Polinar said that they will boost 1,400 personnel from the provincial police office who will be fully deployed on Election Day.
He said that augmentation personnel were assigned to man polling precincts as the Commission on Elections (Comelec) require at least two policemen to ensure peace and order.
Police Col. Ronan Claravall, Negros Oriental police director, directed them to exercise maximum tolerance and be patient in dealing with supporters of candidates and voters.
He reminded them to maintain neutrality and be apolitical in the elections.
Claravall said no election-related incidents or threats have reported against candidates in the province so far.
Monitoring is ongoing for any possible threats in coordination with intelligence units from other law enforcement units.
“This is what we are concerning about na kapag tahimik baka biglang may pumutok, but constant naman iyong monitoring and we’re also strengthening our intelligence drive,” Polinar said.
Polinar said that a contingency plan from the Comelec is in place for an eruption of Kanlaon Volcano in Canlaon City and currently under Alert Level 3.
Police are ready to assist in rescue and evacuation of people, Polinar said.
During his first official command visit to the Bacolod City Police Office on Monday, May 5, Police Brig. Gen. Arnold Thomas Ibay, officer-in-charge of Police Regional Office -Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR), said the deployment of the BCPO personnel is pursuant to the security requirement of the Comelec in the province.
The town of La Libertad and Guihulngan City in Negros Oriental have been tagged as election areas of concern.
Ibay assured that BCPO’s deployment to Negros Oriental will not compromise local security here, noting that this city remains fully covered.
Ibay said that augmentation personnel will remain in the province until May 15.
The province was placed under Comelec control during the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections following the assassination of then Gov. Roel Degamo at his residence in Pamplona town in March 2023.