ANGELES CITY — Police tightened its security during the delivery of 4,044 units of vote counting machines transported from Cabuyao, Laguna to a warehouse in Barangay Cutcut here early morning today (Monday).
“Our policemen beefed up the security escorts of eight trucks carrying VCMs during transport until it reached the hub here past 4 am,” said Police Colonel Narvin Mangune, acting director of the Angeles City Police Office (ACPO).
Mangune said the VCMs will remain in an undisclosed warehouse in Angeles City and placed on tight guard by the City Mobile Force Company led by police Lt. Colonel Romeo Castro until the day the Commission on Elections (Comelec) takes them for deployment in Pampanga, Bulacan and Angeles City.
“The VCMs will be distributed to Comelec officers in Bulacan, Pampanga and in this city ahead of election day,” said Mangune, while directing Castro to double the security at the perimeter of the warehouse where the VCMs are deposited for safekeeping.
Meanwhile, the ACPO is set to deploy close to 600 policemen in 38 polling precincts across the city to ensure the safety of voters and maintain peace and order during the exercise of suffrage on May 13.
“I’m not expecting augmentation from higher police headquarters as no election-related violence had been recorded so far in previous political exercises here in Angeles,” Mangune added.
Mangune described the political atmosphere as relatively peaceful, as candidates vying for various elective positions are civil and peace-loving personalities.
The candidates for mayoralty position are lawyer Bryan Nepomuceno with his vice mayorable tandem Edu Pamintuan; Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin and partner Vicky Vega-Kabigting and Alexander Cauguiran and Marang Morales.
The three groups have been heard claiming to have edged against each other basing on local surveys, a political observer noticed.