COTABATO CITY (MindaNews / 24 Aug)—The chief of the Police Regional Office of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR), together with other security partners, has proposed to the Commission on Elections to postpone the conduct of Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) in the entire region because of intense political rivalries that have resulted to violence.
Brig. Gen. Allan Nobleza. MindaNews file photo by MARIVIC OMANDAM DAVIS
Brig. Gen. Allan Nobleza, in a telephone interview Thursday morning, said that discussion between PRO-BAR and the Regional Joint-Security Control Center (RJSCC) suggests delaying the elections for two weeks “so that we can focus our resources.”
The RJSCC is composed of representatives from the Army, Marines, and the Coast Guard.
Nobleza also said during the Alerto Bangsamoro segment program of DXMS-Radyo Bida in Cotabato City that they have already recorded 350 shooting incidents since January this year. Twenty-one of the attacks, he stressed, targeted government officials and most of the victims are barangay officials.
Though the region will deploy 13,000 of its personnel, Nobleza said around 6,000 more are needed to complement and tighten the security and ensure people can vote safely and will result in credible elections.
Nobleza also noted that based on their recent security assessment, 10 municipalities in the region are on their watch list for possible political violence due to monitored tensions as of this time.
Furthermore, he said that 10 of the 63 villages in the Special Geographic Area-BARMM (which is part of Cotabato province) are in the red category, or areas of grave concern, due to intense political rivalries. These are the barangays Gli-gli, Batulawan, Nalapaan, Kabasalan, Rajamuda, Balong, Lagundi, Buhatan, Macabual and Pamalian.
At least 1,100 police personnel will be deployed in these areas, Nobleza added.
But he stressed that “this was just our proposal” and assured that they are nevertheless prepared if the BARMM will conducted the elections simultaneously with the rest of the country on October 30.
The Joint Task Force Central and the 6th Infantry (Kampilan) Division, meanwhile, assured that security measures are in place for the upcoming BSKE.
“Military personnel are already on high alert, especially in the implementation of checkpoints, and they are continuously monitoring probable politically motivated violence, particularly in areas of concern,” said Maj. Gen. Alex Rillera, 6ID chief. (Ferdinandh Cabrera / MindaNews)
