CAGAYAN de Oro City — More than 900 police officers from Northern Mindanao are being deployed to Lanao del Sur to help secure the first parliamentary election of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on September 14.
The deployment, which began Tuesday, September 8, is intended to give voters and communities additional security as authorities prepare for the historic polls.
The Police Regional Office 10 (PRO 10) said its personnel are trained and experienced to handle their duties in the Bangsamoro region.
Newly installed Police Regional Director Police Brigadier General Nestor C. Babagay Jr. said the personnel were selected to augment existing security forces in Lanao del Sur.
“They are composed of personnel of PRO 10, competent personnel of PRO 10 to augment in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region for the conduct of first parliamentary election,” Babagay said.
He assured that the deployed officers would perform their duties professionally to help maintain a peaceful and safe election.
The 900-plus personnel will remain in BARMM for 10 days. Of the deployment, 380 police officers will serve as Special Electoral Board members, while the rest will handle security and other election-related operations, according to police officials.
The large deployment is aimed at ensuring that sufficient security personnel are available in different areas and can respond to possible incidents during the election period.
Commission on Elections Region 10 Regional Election Director Renato Magbutay stressed that the deployment is about more than simply increasing the number of police officers on the ground.
“We send not merely police officers but as guardians of democracy, protectors of the electoral process and partners of continuing pursuit of peace in Mindanao,” Magbutay told the officers before their departure.
The September 14 polls will mark the first parliamentary election in BARMM, making security preparations particularly critical as voters elect representatives to the Bangsamoro Parliament.
For voters, the deployment means a larger security presence as authorities work to protect polling areas, support the electoral process and help ensure that the historic election proceeds peacefully and orderly.
