EASTERN VISAYAS: With only two days remaining before the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE), the Police Regional Office (PRO) 8 in Eastern Visayas has escalated its security measures.
According to a new release by Philippines News Agency, Brig. Gen. Reynaldo Pawid, more police officers have been deployed to 491 villages identified as election areas of concern. Among the over 7,000 police officers assigned across the region for election-related duties, at least 2,400 have been placed in the first congressional district of Samar and 2,300 in the third district of Leyte.
Pawid stated that the regional police force has raised its alert status to full beginning Saturday, continuing until all election materials 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," said Pawid.
Coordination efforts have also been established with other partner agencies to ensure the safe, accurate, and fair conduct of the elections. Police officers have been positioned in various schools across the region to supervise the delivery of election paraphernalia and to conduct pre-election inspections and monitoring. Command posts at each provincial police office are also manned by police officers, standby troops, and quick reaction teams on a 24-hour basis.
Of the 491 villages under surveillance, 197 are categorized as election areas of concern, 131 as immediate areas of concern, and 63 as areas of grave concern. These designations are based on factors including past incidents of election-related violence, the possible employment of partisan armed groups, and political motives behind election-related cases.
To support the regional police, more than 2,000 personnel of the Philippine Army and 200 personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard have been deployed. As of October 26, PRO-8 has recorded three election-related incidents in the region. Additionally, 135 individuals have been apprehended for violating the Omnibus Election Code, and various contraband items and weapons have been confiscated or surrendered.