Army, police, Comelec unite to safeguard 2025 BARMM polls
COTABATO CITY — The police and the Army have assured the chairman of the Commission on Elections to cooperate in ensuring peaceful 2025 elections in Bangsamoro towns and cities, some of which are known election hotspots.
Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia, Army Major Gen. Antonio Nafarrete, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, and Brig. Gen. Romeo Macapaz, director of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, met on Monday, November 4, at Camp Siongco in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte and agreed to embark on programs meant to ensure safe and credible elections next year in areas covered by the 6th ID and PRO-BAR.
The lawyer Ray Sumalipao, Comelec's regional director for BARMM, and his subordinate poll officials were also present in the meeting.
The filing of certificates of candidacy for the 80 seats in the parliament of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao at Comelec’s office in the regional capitol in Cotabato City commenced on Monday and shall last until Saturday.
Nafarrete told reporters via Viber on Tuesday that he had assured Garcia, while at Camp Siongco, where 6th ID’s headquarters is located, that they are ready for next year’s local and regional parliamentary elections in BARMM’s adjoining Maguindanao del Sur and Maguindanao del Norte provinces and in the eight newly-created Bangsamoro towns in Cotabato province in Region 12.
The 6th ID had, since January this year, settled 14 deadly conflicts involving Moro clans, some of which are identified with politicians, and collected more than 300 combat rifles, grenade launchers, rocket launchers, 60 and 81-millimeter mortars and M60 machineguns that barangay, municipal and provincial officials voluntarily surrendered in support of the division’s election security thrusts.
"Our focus is to ensure the safety and integrity of the 2025 elections in our area of responsibility. We are ready for next year’s first-ever Bangsamoro parliamentary elections,” Nafarrete said.
Macapaz, who, as Bangsamoro regional police director has jurisdiction over the five provinces and three cities in the autonomous region, said their units are working along with the multi-sector municipal, city and provincial peace and order councils in planning measures to stave off violence during next year’s BARMM parliamentary elections.
“We also have tie-up election security programs with the Islamic and Christian religious communities and the leaders of the non-Moro indigenous communities in the autonomous region,” Macapaz said.
Garcia, in a dialogue with reporters on Monday morning, prior to his conference with 6th ID and PRO-BAR officials, said he is optimistic about clean and safe 2025 elections in the autonomous region.
He said he appreciates the preparations of the police and military for the forthcoming electoral exercise in the Bangsamoro region.
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