ILOILO City – In a historic and high-stakes deployment, the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) is sending 29 police officers to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to help secure the conduct of the May 12 national and local elections and the BARMM parliamentary elections.
This is the first time Western Visayas police personnel are being deployed to assist another region’s electoral operations — a move underscoring both national solidarity and the gravity of ensuring peaceful polls in one of the country’s most challenging electoral landscapes.
A send-off ceremony was held Tuesday at Camp Gen. Martin Teofilo Delgado in Iloilo City, led by PRO-6 director Police Brigadier General Jack Wanky and Commission on Elections (Comelec) Western Visayas regional election attorney Jekar Francis D. Sullano.
“This is not just historic — this is a testament to the readiness, professionalism, and courage of our personnel,” said Wanky. “We are responding to the national call to ensure credible elections in areas where security and impartiality are most critical.”
The deployment comes amid heightened concerns over election-related violence and logistical difficulties traditionally associated with BARMM’s geography and security situation.
The 29 deployed officers, who underwent rigorous screening and preparation, were drawn from six police units across Western Visayas: four from Aklan, six from Capiz, two from Guimaras, eleven from Iloilo, two from Iloilo City, and four from Antique.
Sullano lauded the deployment as a “strategic reinforcement” crucial to the integrity of the electoral process in BARMM.
“This collaboration strengthens our efforts to deliver peaceful and honest elections, particularly in areas where additional manpower is critical,” Sullano said. “We trust these officers to uphold the rule of law and embody the neutrality expected of every electoral board member.”
The deployed police officers will serve under the jurisdiction of the Police Regional Office – BARMM throughout their assignment, operating independently of their home units to guarantee impartiality.
Also present at the send-off were Deputy Regional Director for Operations Police Colonel Joriz Cantoria and other members of the PRO-6 regional staff./PN
