The Police Regional Office for the Negros Island Region will augment its presence in Negros Oriental to ensure security and smooth conduct of the May 12 elections.
Negros Oriental currently has a little over 1,400 police officers assigned to election-related duties.
About 300 more will be deployed in the Province, PRO-NIR Director Brig. Gen. Thomas Ibay said during a Regional Joint Security Control Center meeting on Monday. They will arrive three days before the May 12 polls.
“We will be deploying additional personnel from the Bacolod City (Negros Occidental) Police Office to reinforce the existing forces in Negros Oriental, guaranteeing a safe and secure electoral process,” Ibay said.
Lionel Marco Castillano, Comelec-NIR director, added that beyond the regular police force, additional units from the Philippine National Police, including the Special Action Force, and the Regional Mobile Force Battalion, will also be deployed on May 12.
The Philippine Army, Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau of Fire Protection, and other government security forces are likewise collaborating to secure the elections.
There have been no changes to the previously identified election areas of concern in Negros Oriental.
The Province has two towns and cities categorized as red (areas of grave concern), one as orange (area of immediate concern), and the remaining areas yellow (areas of concern).
The RJSCC, which comprises representatives from various government security forces, held a closed-door conference earlier to finalize election preparations, including contingency plans for a potential eruption of the active Mt. Kanlaon in northern Negros. (With a report from Mary Judallne Partlow/PNA)
