By JOEY NACALABAN
and LITO RULONA
Correspondents .
OVER 300 police officers here underwent a briefing during a send-off ceremony yesterday ahead of Monday’s elections.
The police officers from the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (Cocpo) will be dispatched to various voting precincts in the city during the elections.
Supt. Mardy Hortillosa, Cocpo spokesman, said the officers would be doing field work to deter any electionelated violence and other untoward incidents during the elections.
“The troops will not only be in their respective areas to maintain peace and order, but they will also arrest those who will violate the election laws, including those who would engage in vote-buying,” he said.
Meanwhile in Lanao del Sur, some 150 police officers would be made to serve in the election boards if teachers from the Department of Education (Deped) would opt not to serve on election day.
Commission on Elections regional director Renato Magbutay said there was a “stand-by unit” of police officers in the event that teachers are unable to serve during the barangay and youth elections in areas considered as “hotspots” in Lanao del Sur.
Magbutay said the 150 officers come from different provincial police commands who received Comelec training.
“Experience taught us that there are always teachers who back out there during elections,” he added. “Preparation lang kini just in case.”
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