DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 24 October) – About 3,000 security forces will be deployed in Davao City for the October 30 Barangay and Sangguniang Barangay elections (BSKE), a police official said.
Capt. Hazel Tuazon, Davao City Police Office (DCPO) spokesperson, told MindaNews that 1,876 are DCPO personnel and 1,072 are augmentation from the Police Regional Office (PRO)-Davao and other agencies.
She said that a security plan has already been laid out for next week’s elections.
The security personnel are all set for deployment to the polling precincts and other areas that need heightened police visibility to ensure the peaceful conduct of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections in the city, Tuazon said.
“We need everyone’s cooperation and help so that chaos will be prevented on the day of the elections,” she said.
According to the Commission on Elections (Comelec)-Davao, a total of 47,637 aspirants from the 1,162 barangays of Davao Region filed certificates of candidacies from August 28 to September 2.
Of this figure, there are 2,932 candidates for punong barangay, 25,587 for barangay kagawad, 3,050 for Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) chairperson, and 16,068 for SK members.
The Comelec-Davao recorded a total of 9,519 candidates in Davao de Oro, 10,030 in Davao del Norte, 8,030 in Davao City, 9,239 in Davao del Sur, 3,568 in Davao Occidental, and 7,251 in Davao Oriental.
Local authorities have been implementing the three-month gun ban for the election period effective 12:01 a.m. of August 28 until November 29.
Tuazon said that DCPO personnel have been deployed to various checkpoints to monitor the entry of vehicles and ensure that their passengers don’t sneak in firearms into the city.
Under Comelec Resolution 10918, the Commission, unless authorized, prohibits the bearing, carrying, or transporting firearms and other deadly weapons outside residence or place of business, and in all public places; employing, availing, or engaging the services of security personnel and bodyguards; and transporting or delivering firearms and explosives, including its parts, ammunition, and/ or components.
Section 261 (q) of the Omnibus Election Code penalizes “any person who, although possessing a permit to carry firearms, carries any firearms outside his residence or place of business during the election period, unless authorized in writing by the Commission.”
The Comelec resolution also states that a violation of any prohibited acts during the election period “constitutes an election offense punishable with imprisonment of not less than one year but not more than six years without probation, permanent disqualification to hold public office, and deprivation of the right of suffrage. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
