The Palawan Police Provincial Office (PPPO) on Tuesday said they are ready for the deployment of police personnel in designated areas on May 1 based on their preparations for the upcoming May 9 national and local elections.
Per the data from the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), there are 468 voting locations in 23 municipalities of Palawan, each with two police officers deployed, according to P/Lt. Col. Lorence P. Bataller, chief of the Provincial Operations and Management Unit (POMU).
He also said 145 personnel from the National Support Unit (NSU) and 472 from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), for a total of 1,355 in the entire province will extend assistance to ensure a peaceful and orderly elections.
Meanwhile, Bataller claimed that the province has always been seen as peaceful and manageable, with no serious incidents of violence in recent years.
“Sa ngayon, ang status ng Palawan ay very peaceful and manageable naman tayo. Wala tayong history of any election-related violence na nare-record or nai-report. Wala po tayong ganoon,” Bataller said.
“Pertaining naman sa monitoring sa lahat ng munisipyo sa buong Palawan, lahat yan ay ating tinitingnan, kino-consider natin ang safety at peaceful na eleksyong gagawin”, he added.
He said that the province is classified as green, and that there are no security concerns over the forthcoming elections.
“Lahat tayo ay nasa green category, wala tayong hotspot sa Palawan,” he explained.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) classifies areas that do not have security concern and generally peaceful and orderly under Category Green; areas of concern and have a history election-related incidents under Category Yellow; areas of immediate concern and have a serious threat under Category Orange; and areas of grave concern with combined factors under the yellow and orange categories under Category Red.
But while Palawan falls under the Category Green, Bataller said they are monitoring the municipalities of Taytay, Roxas, Narra, and San Vicente, due to some reported incidents.
“Hindi natin inaalis yung mga ganoong possibility na tiningnan at tinutukan natin sila dahil sa mga past history na ganoong pangyayari para hindi na maulit ‘yong mga ganung sitwasyon na magkaroon pa ng other related election violence,” he said.
“In general, we hope na magkaroon tayo ng peaceful and secure na local elections sa Palawan. Kaya sana sa tulong rin ng mamamayan sa buong Palawan ay magkaroon tayo ng peaceful na National and Local elections”, he added.
