The Police Regional Office (PRO) 8 (Eastern Visayas) has deployed more police officers to 491 villages identified as election areas of concern two days before the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE). Of the more than 7,000 police officers deployed across the region for election-related duties, at least 2,400 were assigned to the first congressional district of Samar and 2,300 to the third district of Leyte, PRO-8 acting Director, Brig. Gen. Reynaldo Pawid, said on Saturday. The regional police has raised a full alert status beginning Saturday until all election paraphernalia are returned to local election offices. ‘The entire force of the police regional office have come prepared and are now ready to serve and secure a peaceful conduct of election on Monday. As part of our preparation, we have launched various elaborative planning and coordination with other partner agencies to exhaust all possible measures in realizing one shared goal, a safe, accurate, fair, and peaceful conduct of elections,’ Pawid said. Police officers are stationed in various schools across the region to ensure the delivery of election paraphernalia and conduct inspections and monitoring before Monday’s election. The PRO-8 also stationed police officers, standby troops, and quick reaction teams at the command posts of each provincial police office on a 24-hour basis. Of the 491 villages, 197 are classified as election areas of concern, 131 as immediate areas of concern, and 63 as areas of grave concern. Areas of concern are those with a history of election-related incidents in the past election; there is possible employment of partisan armed groups; and the occurrence of politically motivated election-related cases that had been previously declared under the control of the Commission on Elections (Comelec). Areas of immediate concern are places with serious armed threats; while areas of grave concern are those that exhibit combined factors. Augmenting the police officers are more than 2,000 personnel of the Philippine Army and 200 personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard. Meanwhile, PRO-8 has recorded three election-related incidents in the region as of October 26. Likewise, 135 individuals were apprehended in violation of the Omnibus Election Code while 392 contraband and 93 deadly weapons were confiscated, 47 firearms seized, 31 firearms surrendered, and 79 firearms deposited for safekeeping.
Source: Philippines News Agency