7,000 Security Forces Tapped for NIR Midterm Elections

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY – The Police Regional Office–Negros Island Region has started deploying personnel to secure the May 12 midterm elections across the region.

Police Brig. Gen. Arnold Thomas Ibay, officer in charge of PRO-NIR, said 7,000 security forces—including military troops and Coast Guard personnel—are ready to ensure peace and order during the elections.

“We are now on full alert,” Ibay said, adding that all units are prepared.

During his first official command visit to the Bacolod City Police Office on Monday, Ibay said around 350 BCPO personnel will be deployed to Negros Oriental two days before election day to augment security forces there.

Ibay identified La Libertad town and Guihulngan City in Negros Oriental as election areas of concern, with no similar areas listed in Negros Occidental.

Negros Oriental became a major election hotspot following the assassination of Gov. Roel Degamo in 2023.

He said BCPO will support security operations in Negros Oriental to ensure coverage of all polling centers, as required by the Commission on Elections.

The augmentation forces will remain in Negros Oriental until May 15, he added.

Ibay assured that the deployment will not affect peace and order in Bacolod, as BCPO has sufficient personnel to cover local precincts.

“We’re good to go,” he said.

There will be no formal send-off ceremony for deployed troops, but Ibay said a small briefing will be held to remind personnel of their election duties.

He also confirmed that Siquijor has adequate manpower for election coverage.

Ibay directed all forces to remain nonpartisan and ensure a peaceful and credible electoral process.

“I will not tolerate any wrongdoings,” he said.

Police Capt. Judesses Catalogo, public information officer of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office, said around 1,800 personnel will be deployed throughout the province.

He added that this number is sufficient to cover all voting precincts.

Catalogo said authorities have dismantled private armed groups ahead of the elections, although monitoring continues.

No political threats or election-related incidents have been reported so far, he said.

Col. Erwin Rommel Lamzon, spokesperson for the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, said close to 4,000 military personnel will support election security operations.

This includes 1,500 troops from the 302nd Infantry Brigade in Negros Oriental and nearly 1,000 under the 303rd Infantry Brigade.

The count also includes Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit Active Auxiliary members, Lamzon added.

He said these troops will monitor insurgency threats and be on standby to augment police if needed.

Military and civilian vehicles will also be used to secure the transport of election materials and Comelec officials.

Meanwhile, Ibay led the inauguration of the newly constructed main gate of the BCPO headquarters on Monday.

Police Col. Joeresty Coronica, BCPO director, thanked the Panisales family for donating what he described as a “state-of-the-art” gate—the most beautiful among all PRO-NIR headquarters.

“This is more than just an entryway,” Coronica said in his message.

“It’s a landmark of pride and a beacon of the ideals we uphold in the police service.”

He said the new gate symbolizes community partnership, public trust and shared progress.

“This gate serves as a gateway of hope—a visible pledge that the BCPO is not a fortress that divides, but a center of peace and cooperation,” he added.