BACOLOD CITY – Some 1,396 police personnel will be deployed to secure the voting centers in all 31 component cities and municipalities in Negros Occidental during the May 9 national and local elections.
Data of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) show two policemen will be deployed to each of the 698 voting centers on election day aside from other personnel on stand-by to provide monitoring and quick reaction assistance.
Lt. Abegael Donasco, NOCPPO spokesperson, said on Tuesday they have sufficient manpower and have no need so far, for augmentation forces from the Police Regional Office-Western Visayas (PRO-6).
“We will not need it anymore. We were able to find a way so we will not have lack of personnel. We will not get more people and we will not also send people to other units,” she said in a virtual press conference.
Donasco said the NOCPPO has identified 170 policemen for deployment to the City and Municipal Election Monitoring and Action Centers and 2,187 personnel for the quick reaction force.
“That’s as of this moment, based on our last meeting. We have forwarded this to the (PRO-6). We’re hoping that once we finalize everything in our next meeting, this will be the deployment plan that will be approved by the region,” she added.
In Negros Occidental, the Commission on Elections has established some 10,130 precincts in the 698 voting centers.
The total number of established precincts has been clustered into 2,456 precincts. (PNA)
