Situation in Lanao Sur remains ‘normal’ despite hot spot tag

MALABANG, Lanao del Sur — The Philippine National Police (PNP) considers the situation in this province “normal” even as it deployed close to 2,000 officers to keep peace and order and assist the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in today’s (May 13) elections.

Col. Madzgani Mukaram, Lanao del Sur provincial police director, said Sunday evening that his office has not yet received any incidence of election-related violence since the election period started.

What the provincial police has focused on, Mukaram said, is the deployment of law enforcers to towns where many teachers have either been disqualified or had refused to serve in the elections.

Mukaram said more than a hundred police officers were designated as members of the board of election inspections (BEIs) in the municipalities of Masiu, Lumbaca-Unayan, Sultan Dumalondong, Madalum, Binidayan, Bacolod-Kalawi, Marogong, Malabang, and Lumba-Bayabao.

More officers from the PNP regional headquarters in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao based in Marawi City are also on stand-by to act as BEIs in Butig and Pagayawan in case teachers in those towns will back out at the last minute.

In this town, around 200 police officers were briefed by the Comelec Sunday afternoon, giving them a refresher course on how to handle the vote counting machines and other election-related functions.

Acting municipal election officer for Malabang Joyce Moran said they had to remove the names of some teachers as BEIs because of their non-permanent status at the Department of Education.

Many have also declined to serve due to fear they will be affected by intense political rivalry.

In a separate interview, provincial election assistant Norani Indar Macalaba said that most of those who were disqualified are relatives of some political candidates.

Philippine Army’s 6th Infantry Brigade commander, Lt. Col. Clairemont Pinpin, said he has deployed 600 soldiers to help secure the elections, especially keeping an eye on Malabang, Balabagan, and Marogong towns, which have been reported to have a history of violence due to intense political rivalry.