ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — At least 6,000 police officers and personnel will be deployed in Zamboanga peninsula to ensure peaceful and honest elections.
The officers, backed by their counterparts from the military, will protect the over two million registered voters, as well as the more than 1,800 voting centers and 3,300 voting precincts all over the region and in Isabela City in Basilan, which is under the administrative management of the Police Regional Office 9 (PRO9).
Brig. Gen. Emmanuel Luis Licup, chief of the PRO9, said the officers would be deployed in polling places 10 days ahead of the May 13 elections.
“The early deployment will also secure the storage, delivery and retrieval of the vote counting machines and the accessories, ballots and other election paraphernalia,” Licup said.
The police will also secure the hubs and offices of the Commission on Elections and intensify checkpoint and chokepoint operations in the region.