Government forces in Negros Oriental province on Monday assured the Commission on Elections (Comelec) that they are now fully prepared for the May 12 midterm elections.
The assurances from the Philippine National Police, the Philippine Army, and the Philippine Coast Guard were made during the final meeting of the Provincial Joint Security Control Center (PJSCC) at the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office.
Lt. Col. Michael Aquino, commanding officer of the 11th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army, who represented the 302nd Brigade, assured the voters, especially in remote areas, of their safety on election day.
“On the part of the Army, we are always dedicated on working diligently to take care of any security threats, particularly from the communist terrorist group and other lawless elements, to provide a safe environment for voters to exercise their right to vote,” Aquino said.
He urged PJSCC members to “continue our collaborative efforts to safeguard the sanctity of the electoral process to ensure the voters’ safety.”
Aquino also assured the body that the government’s anti-insurgency operations will continue unhampered during the election period.
Col. Ronan Claravall, police provincial director of Negros Oriental, highlighted the role of the PJSCC meeting’s participants in the successful conduct of the midterm elections.
“Your presence in this meeting is very important to facilitate a successful and smooth conduct of the national and local elections,” Clavarall said.
“Rest assured that we are a team on this,” he added, highlighting the roles of each agency, office, or unit in performing their best during the elections.
An earlier briefing showed that some 1,400 police personnel will be deployed for election duty, with the Negros Island Region-Police Regional Office 7 assuring to send an additional 310 uniformed personnel to Negros Oriental.
Lt. Junior Grade Marionne Abigail Enopia, head of the local Coast Guard Station here, also made a commitment of mobilizing all of its personnel to the different coastal areas in the province, including Apo Island.
Enopia said there will be patrol boats on standby and uniformed personnel assigned to key seaports in the province.
Meanwhile, lawyer Eddie Aba, Negros Oriental provincial election supervisor, gave several reminders to private partners involved in the upcoming elections.
He urged the general managers of NORECO I and NORECO II, the two electric cooperatives in Negros Oriental, to ensure that there will be an uninterrupted power supply during the elections, canvassing of votes, and proclamation.
Aba also told the cargo forwarders responsible for the delivery of the automated counting machines (ACMs) to ensure the units arrive in the province as scheduled.
For his part, Comelec-NIR regional election director Lionel Marco Castillano expressed confidence that with all the contingencies in place, the election in Negros Oriental will proceed without any significant untoward incidents.
“If we were able to pull through during the previous elections, I am confident that with a unified group that we have now, we will still be able to do it, even without the province being placed under Comelec control,” Castillano said. (PNA)
