Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine National Police launched Tuesday “Oplan Last Two Weeks” in a bid to signify a tightened enforcement of nationwide security operations for the upcoming midterm elections.
“Today, I am announcing the launch of ‘Oplan Last Two Weeks’ which will cover the period from May 6 to May 20 and will include actions that we need to do one week before and one week after election day,” Interior Secretary Mar Roxas said during a press conference held in Camp Crame, Quezon City.
Part of the adjustments in security is the deployment of additional 30,000 police officers to the 15 election hotspots earlier identified by PNP two weeks before the elections.
“Ito’y makaka-dagdag ng personnel para makasiguro tayo na may presenya ang PNP, may presenya ang gobyerno hindi lamang sa mga particular na hotspots pero sa buong bansa (This will increase personnel and assure the government has presence not only in particular hotspots but in the entire country),” Roxas said.
The 15 areas of concern are Abra, Pangasinan, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Cagayan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Batangas, Cavite, Masbate, Samar, Misamis Occidental, Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur and Basilan.
Of the total additional cops, 18,000 are full-ledged officers doing administrative tasks inside a police office, while the remaining 12,000 are new recruits to the police service.
Roxas said the plan also includes the cancellation of all leave privileges; maximum deployment of legal officers and the establishment of a 24/7 media operations center starting May 6.
Moreover, Roxas said security in vital installations and communication facilities will also be strengthened to ensure uninterrupted transmission of poll results during the automated counting of election returns.
“Habang tayo ay naging matagumpay sa expose natin sa cellular phone signal jammers that could crippled the transmittal of election results from the precinct level, we must also secure the power and telecommunication facilities to avoid trouble or disruptions during the conduct of the elections,” he explained.