Cops, soldiers readied for BARMM polls
Thousands of police officers, soldiers and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel will be deployed in various parts of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) for the region’s elections in October.
For the first time in the country’s election history, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) will designate PCG members as reserve Electoral Board (EB) members for the first Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE) on Oct. 13, Elections Commissioner Aimee Ferolino said.
Around 1,000 maritime security force will be trained to manage the elections at the precinct level, said Ferolino following a meeting last week between the election monitoring group Independent Election Monitoring Center and officials of the poll body.
This would allow police personnel, who are the usual reserve workforce to run polling centers, to give more focus on the security aspect of electoral conduct, Ferolino added.
On the part of the Philippine National Police, close to 10,000 cops will be deployed in the region in time for the polls, PNP chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III said in a press briefing on Monday.
Gun ban
The Army’s 6th Infantry Division (6th ID), meanwhile, reaffirmed its commitment to a safe, orderly and peaceful conduct of the first BPE, as the ceasefire committees of both the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) signed the Guidelines for Mutual Understanding on Saturday.
A gun ban is already in place in the region from Aug. 14 until Oct. 28, covering the entire election period, Torre also revealed on Monday.
He added that the gun ban and police deployment would help ensure public safety in the region, where 94 of 108 towns and municipalities were placed under the red category or “areas of grave concern.”
During the gun ban, the poll body prohibits the following activities without a Comelec exemption: the bearing or carrying of firearms or other deadly weapons in public places, even if the owner is licensed or authorized to possess them; availing of or engaging the services of security personnel or bodyguards; and transporting or delivering firearms, ammunition, components and other explosives.
The Comelec also said that Permits to Carry Firearms Outside of Residence, Letter Orders and Mission Orders will be suspended and rendered ineffective during the gun ban period, unless the Gun Ban and Security Concerns Committee issues a Certificate of Authority.
Comelec warned that violators may face imprisonment of one to six years, without probation; disqualification from holding public office and loss of the right to vote; and deportation for foreigners, after serving the prison term.
Quick Response Team
At the 6th ID’s Camp Siongco in Maguindao del Norte, officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the MILF, the Comelec and the PNP also launched on Saturday the government-MILF (GPH-MILF) peace mechanism quick response team (QRT), which would serve as front-line safeguard against election-related violence that might occur before, during and even after the elections, said Maj. Gen. Donald M. Gumiran, the 6th ID commander.
He said the peace mechanism QRT, composed of representatives from the Comelec and GPH-MILF ceasefire committees, had rapid deployment units to respond to threats to the electoral process, such as election violence during election day.
The Guidelines for Mutual Understanding, signed by senior officials of the government, MILF and the Comelec in the BARMM, provide a proactive framework to ensure stability during the polls and underscore a united front for credible and peaceful elections in the Bangsamoro region.
“This is more than a ceasefire agreement—it is a pledge to protect peace and democracy. Through mutual trust and cooperation, we are making history together,” said Gumiran, referring to the guidelines.
He added: “Our collaboration today lays the foundation for a peaceful tomorrow. This is a shared victory for all who believe in lasting peace.”
He said the ceremony stood as a strong symbol of the continuing partnership between the government and the MILF in upholding peace and stability in the Bangsamoro region as it prepared for the historic first parliamentary election.
The training of PCG personnel as members of election boards will begin this week, with assistance from the Department of Science and Technology, to ensure that the personnel have the proper knowledge and skills to serve as members of EBs.
“The participation of coast guard personnel as electoral board members is a significant development, as it will allow the police and the Army to focus more on ensuring election security,” Ferolino told the Inquirer.
