4,500 cops to secure Metro Manila polling places — PNP

(Updated 4:12 p.m.) About 4,500 police personnel will be deployed in Metro Manila to secure voters in 741 polling precincts for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections Monday. In an interview with radio dzBB, Metro Manila police director Chief Superintendent Nicanor Bartolome said police officers would be assigned to various schools in Metro Manila where the polling precincts are located several hours before the elections start. He likewise said Sunday there are also cops in patrol cars, who would ensure a peaceful Oct. 25 elections. “We are now preparing to ensure non-violent elections," Bartolome said, pointing out that the Philippine National Police (PNP) has not declared any election hot spot in Metro Manila as of this posting. The Armed Forces of the Philippines will support the PNP in ensuring honest, orderly, and peaceful elections, he added. The barangay and SK elections now “seems to be peaceful," Bartolome said, noting that the PNP in the National Capital Region has so far recorded one election-related violence. Bartolome was referring to the Oct. 17 slaying of barangay chairman Max Bernardo who was up for re-election in Malabon City. Police and teachers Meanwhile, PNP spokesperson Senior Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr. said that the police will assist board of election inspectors in Maguindanao, Lanao del Sure, and Lanao del Norte. “The teachers are afraid. And our police personnel will also serve as board of election tellers to fill the shortage of teachers," Cruz said in Filipino. Cops assigned in Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, and Lanao del Norte will come from PNP’s regional training services units, he said. “Most of them are trained for election duties. They are the ones who sat as board of election tellers when Lanao del Sur was once declared to have failure of elections," Cruz pointed out. Lanao del Sur is subdivided into 39 municipalities, while Lanao del Norte has 22 towns with 462 barangays. Maguindanao — touted as one of the most violent provinces during elections — is composed of 36 municipalities with 492 barangays. The PNP special action force may also be deployed to “augment security measures" in the three provinces, Cruz added. No untoward incident In Malacañang, presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said that President Benigno Aquino III has ordered the PNP to ensure that there will be no “untoward or violent incidents" around the country. Malacañang is confident that the Commission on Elections will be able to administer the polls “with minimal or no violence at all." There are 52,717,060 registered voters in 162,492 clustered precincts for both the barangay and SK levels nationwide Registered voters for the barangay polls totaled 50,257,540, and 2,459,520 for the SK elections. — Jesse Edep/VS, GMANews.TV