12,495 gov’t forces to secure elections in Calabarzon
LUCENA CITY—Government peacekeeping forces composed of 12,495 personnel have been dispatched to maintain peace and order in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) in the May 12 elections.
“All systems go for the elections. Our personnel have been deployed, along with other resources such as mobile patrols, communication systems, and more,” Police Region 4A (PRO-4A) director Brig. Gen. Paul Kenneth Lucas, said in a statement on Friday.
Lucas said the PRO-4A quick reaction units were placed on alert to immediately respond to any incident.
“Our goal is to ensure the safety of every voter and the integrity of the election process,” Lucas emphasized.
Lucas reported that 12,130 policemen from local police stations, provincial headquarters, mobile forces and regional headquarters have been tasked to maintain a safe and orderly election across the region.
Force multipliers
An additional 365 personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard are on standby and ready to provide support to policemen.
Aside from government law enforcers, Lucas said they have also coordinated with “force multipliers and volunteer groups to expand our presence at polling centers and maintain order.”
“We have also ordered the strict enforcement of the gun ban, and checkpoint operations continue to prevent any threats of violence,” he said.
He also encouraged voters to avoid any form of disorder and immediately report any suspicious activity to the authorities.
Calabarzon is one of the most influential voting regions in the country, with 9,761,170 registered voters.
The PRO-4A has identified eight municipalities in the region as areas of concern due to threats amid the preparations for this year’s polls.
Police Lt. Col. Chitadel Gaoiran, PRO-4A public information officer, tagged the town of Tagkawayan in Quezon as under “orange” category.
An area is classified as “orange” if there is a combination of two or more factors under the category yellow or serious armed threats posed by communist terrorist groups and/or other threat groups as may be declared by the competent authority.
Under “yellow” category were the towns of Sta. Maria, Laguna; Mataas na Kahoy, San Jose, Tanauan and Taal in Batangas; and Candelaria, San Francisco in Quezon. These areas were in this category due to occurrence of a suspected election-related incident in the last two elections and the existence of intense partisan political rivalry with no participation of domestic terror groups.
