Palace: Security Reinforcement Ahead of BARMM Polls

MANILA, Philippines — The government is set to reinforce security in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao as the first-ever BARMM parliamentary election approaches, Malacañang said yesterday. Palace press officer Claire Castro said President Marcos has directed concerned agencies to ensure a peaceful, orderly and credible conduct of the BARMM polls on Sept. 14. Castro clarified that the reported killings in BARMM since the start of the year were not related to the upcoming polls, and instead involved personal conflicts, citing information from the Commission on Elections. She said the Comelec, Philippine National Police (PNP) and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are conducting focused law enforcement operations against private armed groups and other security threats in the region. Marcos earlier assured the Bangsamoro people that the first parliamentary election would push through as scheduled. Castro said 8,299 PNP personnel would be deployed in BARMM for election security. She added that the number may be augmented as the election approaches, depending on the PNP’s threat assessment and the Comelec requirements. “The PNP is working alongside the AFP and the Philippine Coast Guard to boost security, particularly in election areas of concern identified by the Comelec, to ensure the safe, peaceful and orderly conduct of the election,” Castro said. Meanwhile, 12 people have been arrested for violating the Comelec gun ban, as security operations intensify. PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez said the arrests came as police continue implementing security measures during the campaign period, noting that no violent election-related incident has been reported so far. “We have already laid out and are implementing our security operations,” Nartatez said. At least 400 people are aspiring for a seat in the 86-member parliament.