BLESSING. Pastor Joellan Turibio (center) leads the blessing of equipment that will be used by personnel of Bacolod City Police Office during the May 9 national and local elections. The activity, conducted in the presence of Col. Thomas Joseph Martir (left), city director, and Lt. David Cachumbo Jr. (right), deputy city director for operations, was held at the BCPO grounds on Wednesday (April 27, 2022). (Photo courtesy of Bacolod City Police Office)
BACOLOD CITY – The Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) has laid out plans for the deployment of personnel and equipment for the May 9 national and local elections during the nationwide simultaneous logistical readiness test and dispatch ceremony on Wednesday.
Lt. Col. Sherlock Gabana, BCPO public information officer, said that for now, the city police can be considered 95 percent ready for duty less than two weeks before election day.
“We cannot really say 100 percent because sometimes there are incidents we cannot predict and there may be also changes that will take place,” he told reporters.
Gabana said they do not foresee major challenges since Bacolod residents are not violent people.
“The people are also cooperating. The heated exchanges are normal every election,” he added.
Gabana said so far, the BCPO has not recorded any election-related violence and he hopes nothing will occur until the election is over.
During the ceremony, equipment such as patrol vehicles, firearms, and civil disturbance management gears were blessed by Pastor Joellan Turibio, in the presence of BCPO officials led by Col. Thomas Joseph Martir, city director, and Lt. David Cachumbo Jr., deputy city director for operations.
The BCPO has a total of 947 personnel, including 44 commissioned officers, 845 non-commissioned officers, and 58 non-uniformed personnel.
In Bacolod, the Commission on Elections has 450 clustered precincts with 45 voting centers in schools across 61 barangays. (PNA)
