More than 2,000 policemen from the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office will be deployed in the province, especially in the hotspot areas, as part of its security preparations for the upcoming May 9 national and local elections.
Lt. Abegael Donasco, public information officer of NOCPPO, said Tuesday, March 1, that 2,452 policemen are needed to dispatch to police stations and polling centers in the province, with 2,028 cops currently deployable.
She said that the Bacolod City Police Office is also ready to augment the provincial police force, while the Police Regional Office-6 was already informed regarding the need for additional policemen.
At least 18 election watchlist areas were identified in the province.
Areas under Category Red are Escalante City, Calatrava, Moises Padilla, and Candoni.
Listed under Category Yellow is Salvador Benedicto, while the cities of Silay, Victorias, Himamaylan, Kabankalan, and Sipalay and towns of Binalbagan, Manapla, Cauayan, Hinobaan, Ilog, Isabela, La Castellana, and Toboso are placed under Category Orange.
Category Yellow are areas of concern that have a history of election-related incidents in the last elections, possible employment of partisan armed groups, occurrence of politically motivated election-related incidents and had been previously declared under Commission on Elections control.
Category Orange are areas of immediate concern, which have a serious armed threat, while Red are areas of grave concern, which exhibit combined factors under the Yellow category with serious armed threats that may warrant a declaration of Comelec control.*