After Mindanao poll duties
TACLOBAN CITY – After successfully completing their election duties in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), 101 police personnel from the Philippine National Police Regional Office 8 (PRO-8) returned to Eastern Visayas on Tuesday, May 20.
The personnel, deployed on April 30 as members of Special Electoral Boards (SEBs), were tasked with helping ensure the conduct of the 2025 National and Local Elections in BARMM — a region often characterized by complex political dynamics and heightened security concerns during election periods.
Police Brigadier General Jay Cumigad, regional director of PRO-8, led the welcome ceremony at Camp Ruperto Kangleon in Palo, Leyte, where he commended the returning personnel for their bravery, professionalism, and dedication to duty.
“I wish to express my appreciation to the 101 brave and dedicated personnel of PRO-8 who answered the call of duty and were deployed to PRO Bangsamoro as Special Electoral Boards,” Cumigad said.
“Despite our own personnel requirements here in PRO-8, we still managed to send support to PRO-BAR, demonstrating our strong commitment to the PNP’s mission of ensuring honest, orderly, and peaceful elections across the nation,” he added.
The deployment was part of the Philippine National Police’s national security strategy, in collaboration with the Commission on Elections (Comelec), to strengthen security in vulnerable and high-risk areas during the polls.
Meanwhile, Cumigad reported that the conduct of the 2025 elections in Eastern Visayas was generally peaceful, with only a few isolated incidents that were quickly resolved.
“Despite a few incidents, we were able to maintain peace and order through the immediate and coordinated actions of our personnel, in close cooperation with partner agencies,” he said. “The safety of the public and the integrity of the elections were our top priorities, and I believe we achieved both successfully.”
Over 10,000 PRO-8 personnel were deployed across the region, supported by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG). Security operations focused on 27 municipalities identified as election areas of concern, classified into areas of concern, immediate concern, and grave concern.
During the election period, 71 individuals were arrested for violating the liquor ban, while 64 others were apprehended for gun ban violations.
Cumigad lauded the effective coordination among uniformed personnel and partner agencies, emphasizing that their collective efforts were vital in ensuring a secure and credible electoral process across Eastern Visayas.
(JOEY A. GABIETA, RONALD O. REYES)
