SEND-OFF. Rev. Fr. Alfonso Alojipan, Jr. leads the blessing of troops and resources during the send-off ceremony on Tuesday (Oct. 24, 2023). Antique Provincial Election Supervisor Lawyer Salud Milagros Villanueva, in her message, said the concerted effort of more than 2,000 security personnel will try to ensure the peaceful and credible Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Election (BSKE) 2023 in Antique. (PNA by Annabel Consuelo J. Petinglay)
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – The concerted effort of more than 2,000 security personnel with logistical complement will ensure the peaceful and credible Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) in Antique this Oct. 30.
“We have the air, land, and water assets because of the concerted effort,” said Antique Provincial Election Supervisor Lawyer Salud Milagros Villanueva in her message during the send-off ceremony held at the Antique Provincial Police Office on Tuesday.
The 2,000 forces consisted of personnel from the Philippine National Police (PNP), Philippine Army (PA), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).
Villanueva urged the troops to take seriously their mandate in securing the election.
Antique Provincial Police Office (APPO) officer-in-charge Lt. Col. Ricardo Jomuad Jr., Philippine Army’s 61st Infantry Battalion (61IB) commander Lieutenant Colonel Arturo Balgos, BFP Antique Fire Marshall Superintendent Patricio Collado, and Coast Guard Station Antique deputy commander Ensign Joshua Paul Junsay joined the ceremony.
Jomuad said they have requested 715 police officers from the regional headquarters to augment their 1,000 personnel in Antique.
“The police will be ready to secure the polling precincts on Election Day,” he said in a separate interview.
The 61IB is closely monitoring the 12 election areas of concern in the province, and so far, they have no reports of vote-buying and vote-selling activities.
“We have beefed up our strength and are conducting focus military operations to ensure a peaceful and safe election,” said Balgos in an interview.
The BFP will commence Wednesday its inspection of classrooms that will be used as polling precincts to ensure they are safe from fire hazards, while the PCG will deploy its floating asset at the Lipata Port in Culasi. (PNA)
