CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga – Central Luzon police authorities have mapped out security plans in the forthcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan polls slated May this year to ensure safe and orderly elections, as 162 villages have been identified as election watchlist areas, a top police official announced Friday.
“The entire police force in the region is closely monitoring 162 barangays considered as election watchlist areas in five provinces,” said Chief Supt Amador Corpus, director of the Central Luzon PNP.
Corpus said the Central Luzon PNP has 12,000-strong personnel to be deployed ahead of the May 14 polls.
Part of the elections’ security operations, Corpus said, include regular anti-criminality checkpoints established along strategic points across the region.
Statistics released by Police Regional Office 3 –Public Information Office (PRO3-PIO) revealed that Nueva Ecija occupied the top spot with the highest number of villages under election watchlist with 102, followed by Bulacan -27; Aurora 19; Tarlac 9; and Zambales – five.
Villages that are under election watchlist, Corpus said, has poll-related violence in the past political exercises, political rivalry heat-up and presence of private armed groups.
Recently, the Nueva Ecija Police Office (NEPPO) seized hundreds of assorted firearms, mostly high-powered, from residents in various parts of the province.
“The campaign against loose firearms is a big factor in ensuring peaceful elections come May 14,” said Corpus in a press statement.
“We are giving priority in these barangays affected by insurgency and we will deploy additional police in these areas to ensure the safe and secure conduct of elections. We are currently undertaking our security preparations to make Barangay and SK elections peaceful,” added Corpus.