PNP goes on full alert ahead of May 12 elections
Checkpoint outposts are being established in anticipation of election-related incidents. DREMA Q. BRAVO
The Philippine National Police went on full alert on Saturday, nine days before the May 12 midterm elections to elect more than 18,000 officials nationwide.
PNP chief Police Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil said the police force was placed on full alert status until 11:59 p.m. of May 15 to ensure peaceful, fair and orderly elections.
“There is no place for violence or intimidation in a democratic process,” Marbil said. “We will make sure this is the safest election.”
Marbil added the PNP was in close coordination with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to ensure that “no act of violence or disruption will derail the electoral process.”
Int’l poll observers
The PNP earlier announced it would deploy 120,000 personnel to secure more than 37,000 voting centers across the country during the elections.
Marbil stressed the PNP had prioritized the deployment of personnel in election hot spots, regular checkpoints and intensified intelligence operations as contained in its 100-day security plan.
Meanwhile, 10 international observers from the Asian Network for Free Elections (Anfrel) started moving to various places across the Philippines starting Friday, following the official launch of its International Election Observation Mission (IEOM) on April 27.
The Comelec-accredited international election observer organization said in a statement the observers were “strategically assigned” to 10 regions, covering 24 provinces and 32 cities and municipalities.
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“[The observers] will ensure regional coverage, providing continuous observation of the electoral process, including the campaign period, election day operations, and post-election developments,” Anfrel said.
This is Anfrel’s fifth international election observation mission in the country after the 2008 Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao general elections as well as the 2010, 2016 and 2022 national and local elections.
Prior to the deployment, Anfrel organized a two-day briefing workshop to equip observers with the tools, methodologies and context needed to carry out their duties in line with international election observation standards. Sessions featured representatives from the Comelec, accredited citizens’ arms and the media.
