Police want Comelec to take over 99 towns in Maguindanao Sur
2 min read
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)
MindanaoHerald | Police want Comelec to take over 99 towns in Maguindanao Sur | COTABATO CITY – The police in Maguindanao del Sur have asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to take control of 99 “red” towns during the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) next month.
In an interview Thursday, Colonel Ruel Sermese, head of the Maguindanao Sur provincial police, said, “We have suggested this to avoid unnecessary disturbances during the conduct of elections.”
Maguindanao Sur is made up of 24 towns and 287 barangays, which are villages.
“These areas are very dangerous because they have clan wars, a lot of political rivalry, and armed groups that could mess up the elections.” “We are waiting to hear back from the Comelec,” Sermese said.
Before, the Maguindanao Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) told the Comelec that if teachers can’t serve on the election board, police officers from other regions should.
This was stated in a resolution passed by PPOC last week. It would help the Police Regional Office in the Bangsamoro Region in Muslim Mindanao (PRO-BARMM) to send more officers to other parts of the region.
“Our preparations continue, and it’s possible that our police officers will act as election board officials,” Sermese said. “That request will be taken into account or not.”
He said that 300 police officers from Maguindanao del Sur finished a three-day course on how to run the Barangay and SK polls on Wednesday.
In a separate interview, Brig. Gen. Allan Nobleza, regional head of the BARMM police force, said that security briefings, assessments, and evaluations of threat groups are being done to help the police get even more ready for the elections. (via PNA)
