Manila: The Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO) announced on Tuesday the need for 347 additional personnel to meet staffing requirements and ensure security during the upcoming elections.

According to Philippines News Agency, Lt. Stephen Polinar, spokesperson for NOPPO, stated that this need has arisen due to the recent transition from the Police Regional Office 7 (PRO-7) to the Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR). The separation of Negros Oriental from the Central Visayas region has left PRO-7 unable to supply additional police personnel.

Polinar noted that the PRO-NIR has pledged to cover the shortfall in the number of Philippine National Police (PNP) personnel required for the May 12 national and local elections (MNLE). Brig. Gen. Jack Wanky, the newly appointed PRO-NIR Officer-in-Charge, committed to providing the additional manpower during his visit to the province on Monday. This reinforcement will be sourced from the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office and the Bacolod City Police Office.

In addition to police reinforcements, the Philippine Army, the Philippine Coast Guard, and the Bureau of Fire Protection are being enlisted to assist with election duties.

Commission on Elections-NIR regional director Lionel Marco Castillano expressed optimism that there will be more than adequate deployment of uniformed personnel to ensure election security. A Regional Joint Security Control Center (RJSCC) meeting is tentatively scheduled for April 23 in Bacolod City to finalize the security deployment plan for the Final Testing and Sealing (FTS) of automated counting machines and on election day. The FTS is set to take place at least five days before the election to confirm the readiness of the machines.