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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Tipid at praktikal': PNP to tap police forces already in Mindanao to secure BARMM polls

'Tipid at praktikal': PNP to tap police forces already in Mindanao to secure BARMM polls

Published Apr 29, 2026 11:38 am
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Security officials are eyeing to limit the deployment of augmentation for soldiers and policemen already in Mindanao in the implantation of the peace and order measures for the first ever Parliamentary Elections at the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Police Brig. Gen. Jaysen de Guzman, director of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR), said such a plan includes members of PNP’s elite Special Action Force and police Mobile Forces units.
The BARMM Parliamentary elections will be held on the second Monday of September based on the law signed by President Marcos.
Historically, BARMM has been a security headache for the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) due to the “gun culture” in the region.
On the other hand, both the SAF and Mobile Forces units are better-equipped and highly-trained in counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations.
The strategy is deemed practical because aside from logistical needs in deploying personnel from Luzon and Visayas, those in Mindanao are somehow familiar with the terrain and culture in BARMM.
“After the elections, these personnel will have to go back to their respective regions so we proposed that the augmentation should come from nearby regions in Mindanao,” said De Guzman.
The police augmentation includes those in Zamboanga Peninsula region, Northern Mindanao and Davao regions, Central Mindanao, and the Caraga region.
“We will also be utilizing support units from SAF, Maritime Group and Highway Patrol Group,” said De Guzman, adding that the AFP and the Philippine Coast Guard have also committed to deploy their personnel to help the PNP.
For the PNP, around 9,000 policemen will be tapped to help secure the BARMM elections while the AFP and the PCG are expected to send 3,000 personnel.
De Guzman said a sufficient number of soldiers, policemen and PCG personnel must still be left to their posts to ensure the peace and order in their respective assignments.
The security measures in BARMM elections were already in place last year but the planned October elections was moved to September this year.
During that time, de Guzman said their only security concern is Taw-Tawi but the security assessments are ongoing in the remaining days leading to the BARMM elections.
“We have to consider all threat groups, especially local terrorist groups like what happened before about the encounter between the AFP and the Daulah Islamiyah-Maute Group in Lanao del Sur,” said Ge Guzman.
“We also maximizing the coordination with them (political clans) because we don’t want any untoward incident to occur as early as before and during the campaign period,” he added.

Related Tags

BARMM parliamentary elections PNP
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