Bacolod City: The Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) has dispatched 310 personnel to Negros Oriental to bolster security measures for the upcoming May 12 national and local elections. The deployment aims to enhance safety and ensure smooth electoral proceedings on the island. The send-off ceremony, featuring a prayer and blessing by Fr. Chris Gonzales, took place at the city police headquarters on Tuesday morning.
According to Philippines News Agency, the decision to send additional forces from Bacolod to Negros Oriental was endorsed by the Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) and approved by the Regional Joint Security Coordinating Center during their meeting in Sibulan, Negros Oriental on April 28. Brig. Gen. Arnold Thomas Ibay, the officer-in-charge of PRO-NIR, highlighted the necessity of this augmentation to address the existing security needs in Negros Oriental for the elections.
Regionwide, approximately 7,000 personnel from the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the Philippine Coast Guard will be mobilized to secure the electoral process. Ibay reassured that all areas within the region have been covered and preparations are in place.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has designated two local government units in Negros Oriental, Guihulngan City and La Libertad town, under the red category due to serious armed threats and a history of election-related incidents. The remaining 23 cities and municipalities are categorized as yellow, indicating a history of political unrest or tension.
In October 2023, Negros Oriental was placed under Comelec’s control for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections following the assassination of former Governor Roel Degamo in March that year. Looking ahead to the 2025 midterm elections, 31 out of 32 local government units in Negros Occidental, including Bacolod City, are classified under the green category, signifying no election-related security concerns, while Candoni town is categorized as orange due to serious armed threats. The island-province of Siquijor is also under the green category, being generally peaceful.
