BACOLOD City – The Bacolod City Police Office provided reinforcement to Negros Oriental to boost security measures for the upcoming May 12 midterm elections.
Brigadier General Arnold Thomas Ibay, officer-in-charge of the Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR), confirmed that 310 BCPO police officers were sent to the neighboring province.
“We found out that the Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office (NORPPO) is lacking personnel… There is a need for an augmentation,” Ibay said during the inauguration of the BCPO main gate and his command visit on May 5.
He added: “Nakita natin na sapat na ang [police] personnel sa Bacolod na mga polling centers, that is why the excess number of personnel will augment cops in Negros Oriental.”
These Bacolod cops, Ibay said, will return to this city three days after the elections.
Around 7,000 security forces composed of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) will secure the road security, polling centers and polling places across NIR.
As to the two areas in Negros Oriental categorized as “red election hotspots” – La Libertad town and Guihulngan City – Ibay said police personnel were already deployed there.
The province also has one area listed under the “orange” category and 22 others under the “yellow” category of election “hotspots”.
Code yellow means an area has history of political unrest; orange indicates the presence of armed groups; while red is for those deemed as critical areas./PN
