BACOLOD CITY — The Negros Occidental Police and the Bacolod City Police hailed the support of Negrenses in the “peaceful and successful” conduct of the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections on Monday.
“The Negros Occidental Police expresses its gratitude to the public for their active support to the Philippine National Police during the elections by reporting immediately their concerns and the untoward incidents,” said Senior Supt. Rodolfo Castil, provincial police director, in a statement on Wednesday.
Castil spearheaded the over-all police assessment of the conduct of the elections in the province.
All personnel deployed by the Negros Occidental Police for the May 14 elections have already been pulled out from their respective assignments, said Insp. Charmae de Paz, provincial police public information officer.
The termination ceremony of the Site Task Group SAFE (Secure and Fair Elections) 2018 was held at the grounds of the police provincial headquarters inside Camp Alfredo Montelibano Sr. here Wednesday.
Castil led the program with the chiefs of police from various city and municipal stations. La Carlota City election officer Revo Sorbito and Pastor Celino Villarete also attended the rites, which was followed by a boodle fight at the Kanlaon Hall.
The Negros Occidental Police deployed a total of 1,811 personnel for Monday’s elections.
Meanwhile, in Bacolod, Senior Insp. Armilyn Vargas, city police public information officer, said that as of Wednesday, all of the more than 500 policemen deployed for election duty have already been recalled.
The Bacolod Police is thankful that the recent elections were peaceful and successful, Vargas said.
According to the City Elections Monitoring Action Center of the city police, headed by Senior Supt. Francisco Ebrero, there was no election-related incident during the casting and counting of votes.
As of May 15, a total of 14 gun ban violators have been arrested in Bacolod.
Vargas credited the successful elections in Bacolod to their intensive information dissemination with the help of the media, which raised public awareness on acts that are prohibited during elections. (PNA)
