By JEN BAYLON
The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) is intensifying security preparations ahead of the May 12 midterm elections by deploying more than 1,700 police officers across the province.
The provincial police and local authorities are working closely to ensure a peaceful and orderly voting process for the province’s 2,014,000 registered voters, ranking it sixth in the country by voter population.
NOCPPO spokesperson Police Captain Judesses Catalogo said their personnel are not allowed to file leaves to maximize manpower.
The NOCPPO aims to assign at least two police personnel per voting precinct on election day.
Catalogo said the Philippine Army will also assist by securing remote voting centers, particularly in far-flung areas in Negros Occidental.
Several quick response teams will be deployed to safeguard the transport of election paraphernalia and automated counting machines.
Catalogo said the election campaign period has remained calm, with no complaints filed by the 731 candidates vying for various positions.
He also confirmed that no private armed groups are currently operating in the province, and no intense political rivalries have been reported so far.
“All private armed groups in Negros Occidental have all been dismantled,” Catalogo said.
He added that if there are groups who intend to disturb the May 12 elections, it will be a “development case.”
They are probably using the names of groups already dismantled, he pointed out.
“We need to identify them and monitor their movements,” Catalogo said.
The Commission on Elections in the Negros Island Region (Comelec-NIR) earlier confirmed that no local government unit (LGU) in Negros Occidental has been classified under the Red Category, which denotes critical areas of concern for the May 12 midterm elections.
The towns of Isabela and San Enrique, previously categorized under the Yellow Category due to past election-related incidents, have been downgraded to the Green Category.
The rest of the LGUs remain under the Green Category, indicating no significant security concerns, Comelec-NIR said.
Finalized
In capital Bacolod City, Colonel Joeresty Coronica, director of the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO), confirmed that deployment plans for the midterm elections have been finalized.
The BCPO will deploy more than 800 policemen to 48 voting centers in the city on election day.
Coronica said two police officers will be assigned to each polling precinct.
An additional 310 personnel will be sent to neighboring provinces in NIR — Negros Oriental and Siquijor — to support election security efforts.
Security measures across the region include increased police visibility, checkpoints and intensified intelligence monitoring to prevent any election-related violence or crime.
Authorities have emphasized professionalism, non-partisanship and respect for human rights throughout the election period./JB, WDJ