More than a thousand police officers were deployed as board of election inspectors in various polling precincts in Mindanao due to a shortage of civilian inspectors, Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Oscar Albayalde disclosed on Monday.
In a press briefing at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday, Albayalde said that about 1,100 police personnel were tapped as election inspectors in different precincts nationwide.
According to Albayalde, 150 police officers were deployed in Sulu, 45 in Basilan, 177 in Maguindanao, 400 in Lanao del Sur, 119 in Cotabato City, and 109 in North Cotabato.
“In all regions, we have trained Comelec officers. We have at least a thousand of them per region as contingency, just in case (polling precincts) would need our police force,” Albayalde told reporters.
“But then, our police officers guarding the polling precinct should not be armed. They’re not allowed to carry guns,” the PNP chief said. /jpv
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