20,000 cops deployed in Metro to secure polls

MANILA, Philippines - With only one week left before the May 13 polls, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) has started the deployment of a total of 20,000 policemen in the metropolis to maintain peace and order during and after the elections.

NCRPO chief Director Leonardo Espina yesterday said 10,000 policemen would secure the polling areas while the rest would go after criminals taking advantage of the election “holiday.”

Espina said the 18,000-strong NCRPO would be placed on full alert days before and after the mid-term elections.

During the election period, the NCRPO would get augmentation forces from the National Headquarters at Camp Crame, Regional Training School, Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA), and the Regional Public Safety Battalion (RPSB).

Espina and lawyer Juvil Surmieda, chairman of the Regional Joint Security Coordinating Center (RJSCC), presented to Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Alan Purisima their security plans to be implemented on May 13.

Surmieda is the regional director of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Metro Manila.

In a briefing yesterday at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City, Espina directed his five district directors to “always ask directives from the Comelec” on possible security problems they will encounter in voting precincts.

The NCRPO chief also called for the establishment of Joint Security Assistance Desks (JSAD) in the five police districts, in coordination with their respective city and municipal election officers to deal with all kinds of problems that may crop up on election day.

Espina likewise ordered a no let-up implementation of search warrants against Private Armed Groups (PAGs) and guns-for-hire all over the metropolis.

“With the guidance from the Chief PNP and the Comelec, the NCRPO is working hard so that the ultimate goal of the election will not be hindered by any security concern,” Espina said.

“We should be vigilant at all times so that we can quickly respond to any untoward incident during the election,” he added.

Espina acknowledged the effort of the RJSCC members, in cooperation with Air 21, for the delivery of election paraphernalia in 16 cities and a municipality in Metro Manila recently.

“We have proven our security readiness when the ballot boxes and election paraphernalia were delivered to the Comelec warehouses. Now, we should continue discharging our duties to ensure the conduct of peaceful and fair election,” he said.