Comelec ready for BSKE; 10K plus security forces mobilized

The Police Regional Office (PRO) 11 will deploy a total of 7, 288 personnel¡ the Armed Forces of the Philippines will be fielding 3,195 troops, while Philippine Coast Guard activates  hundreds of personnel during the BSKE.

During the simultaneous turnover of personnel and resources on Monday (Oct. 23), these personnel including those from the Department of Education (DepEd) will help the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for the orderly conduct of the BSKE 2023.

The DepEd Regional Office said it will deploy 22, 094 personnel who will serve as board of election inspectors.

Comelec 11 acting Regional Director Lawyer Gay Enumerables underscores the importance of the roles of the said agencies in upholding the fundamental principles of democracy.

“Each and every one of you has a crucial part to play in ensuring a secure environment where citizens can exercise their right to vote freely and without any apprehension,”“ she said.

Enumerables encouraged the security sector to embrace collaboration and coordination, in working together harmoniously to ensure a cohesive and efficient approach to safeguarding the electoral proceedings.

The police, military, PCG, and DepEd  expressed their commitment to the Comelec their full support to ensure a safe, peaceful and clean BSKE.

PRO 11 Deputy Regional Director for Administration Brig. Gen. Wilson Soliba in a press conference said that more personnel will be deployed to areas identified as Election Areas of Concern (EAC) and another standby personnel from the regional mobile force will also be augmented should there be any untoward incidents happen during the election day.

Meanwhile, eleven Barangays in Davao Region have been included in the list of EAC.

These 11 barangays that fall under the yellow category includes Kapatagan, Tres de Mayo, Litos, Tanwalang, Talas, Tamiangon, Poblacion, Maibo, Aplaya, and Clib. All these barangays are located in Davao del Sur.

Barangay Ompao in Tarragona, Davao Oriental also included in EAC.

Based on the Comelec’s color-coding system, yellow means areas of concern, which indicates that the area has a history of election-related incidents in the last two elections.