READY FOR POLL DUTIES. Police personnel in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) line up in a formation in this undated photo as they get ready for security duties in the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections next month. Brig. Gen. Allan Nobleza, BARMM police regional director, said on Thursday (Sept. 28, 2023) that a security assessment is ongoing for the proper deployment of the police field forces for the polls. (Photo courtesy of PRO-BARMM)
COTABATO CITY – Police authorities in Maguindanao del Sur have recommended to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to place 99 red-category villages under its control during next month’s Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).
“We have recommended this to avoid unnecessary disturbances during the conduct of elections,” Colonel Ruel Sermese, Maguindanao Sur provincial police director, explained in an interview Thursday.
Maguindanao Sur has 287 barangays (villages) in 24 municipalities.
“In these areas (of grave concern) exist clan wars, intense political rivalry, and the presence of armed groups that may affect the conduct of elections. We are awaiting the response of the Comelec,” Sermese said.
Earlier, the Maguindanao Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) had recommended to the Comelec to let the police officers from other regions serve as electoral board members if the teachers cannot serve.
In a resolution passed last week, PPOC said the move would allow the Police Regional Office in the Bangsamoro Region in Muslim Mindanao (PRO-BARMM) to deploy more personnel in other areas of the region.
“Whether that request is acted upon or not, our preparation continues, including the possibility of our police officers acting as electoral board officials,” Sermese said.
On Wednesday, 300 police officers from Maguindanao del Sur completed a three-day training in administering the Barangay and SK elections, according to him.
In a separate interview, Brig. Gen. Allan Nobleza, BARMM police regional director, said security briefings, assessment, and evaluation of threat groups are being conducted to further boost police readiness for the coming polls. (PNA)
