By Katrina Gracia Consebido
A total of 18,672 personnel from the Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and the Department of Education (DepEd) will be deployed to ensure a secure, accurate, free, and fair May 9 polls.
The send off ceremony at Camp Crame in Quezon City for election frontliners featured 596 PNP personnel, 400 AFP personnel, 100 PCG personnel, and 100 from DepEd.
PNP Chief General Dionardo Carlos assured they are prepared to perform their duty until post-election. Carlos said the PNP started security preparations as early as May last year.
“Your Philippine National Police planned ahead and took all considerations for any contingency. Your Philippine National Police will be present to perform before, during, and after the elections and we are staying focused on the task ahead,” Carlos said.
“So we will stand strong, we will finish strong and we will perform professionally for peaceful elections. The 225,000 strong men and women of the PNP are one with Comelec and other members of the security forces to make sure that we guard the votes of the Filipino nation,” he added. – gb