ILOILO City – As the Oct. 30 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) approaches, the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Army have expressed their readiness to oversee the proceedings.
The Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) has plans to station 13,000 police personnel throughout Western Visayas, predominantly at polling stations, to ensure the safety of both candidates and voters.
“We’re in full gear for the BSKE. Our force is adequately manned and prepared for deployment. We urge the electorate to cast their votes judiciously,” said PRO-6 officer-in-charge, Brigadier General Archival Macala, who also serves as the Deputy Regional Director for Administration.
Macala emphasized that round-the-clock checkpoints would remain in operation.
“With just two weeks until the BSKE, our security personnel are primed for deployment. We have meticulously prepared for this event,” he said during yesterday’s nationwide multi-sectoral peace assembly for BSKE 2023 at the PRO-6.
On the other hand, the Philippine Army is set to dispatch hundreds of soldiers to collaborate with the PNP during the electoral proceedings.
Major General Marion Sison, the commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, also brought attention to the ongoing combat operations against the New People’s Army (NPA).
“The primary aim of these combat operations is to prevent the rebels from collecting ‘permit to campaign’ fees. But the rebels have found it challenging to descend and gather fees since they’re continually evading us. Currently, they’ve taken refuge in the mountains, fully aware of our extensive deployment,” said Sison.
Shedding light on the activities of the NPA, the 3ID commander disclosed that the group leveraged its sparrow units for extortion schemes and to target former rebels and security units, especially in Negros Occidental.
These units were active last month in Negros Island, where they had a primary mission to assault government forces.
However, their alleged assassination plan was thwarted during an armed confrontation with the Philippine Army’s 47th Infantry Battalion (47IB) in Sitio Lubi, Barangay Tabugon, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental on Sept. 21.
As a result, six presumed sparrow unit members met their demise./PN
