Over 8,000 Police Deployed to Ensure Peace and Order in Ilocos Region for Oct. 30 BSKE

Pangasinan – A total of 8,133 police personnel have been deployed across the entire Ilocos Region to maintain peace and order in preparation for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) scheduled for October 30.

According to a new release by the Philippines News Agency, Lt. Col. Benigno Sumawang, the assistant chief at the Regional Community Affairs Development Division of the Police Regional Office 1 (PRO 1), announced this deployment during a forum held on Thursday. Sumawang noted that since the election period began, they have established 12,623 checkpoints to ensure security.

The police force tasked with safeguarding the polls includes 453 personnel who were temporarily pulled out from their educational programs to provide their services. Additionally, the Armed Forces of the Philippines has deployed 347 personnel, while the Philippine Coast Guard has positioned 106 personnel as augmentation forces.

Sumawang mentioned that they have formed quick response teams specifically focused on the 61 villages categorized as “yellow” due to concerns related to election-related incidents and intense political rivalries.

In ongoing operations across the region, authorities have already arrested 40 individuals for violating the gun ban and confiscated 53 firearms.