PRO8 to deploy 1000 more troops to secure polls

By RPCRD, Police Regional Office 8
April 30, 2013

CAMP KANGLEON, Palo, Leyte – More than a thousand policemen will be deployed by Police Regional Office 8 (PRO8) as augmentation personnel to different police provincial and city offices’ even as it started sending troops to the three Samar provinces in a send-off ceremony last week and on Monday afternoon.

“As PRO8 is fully committed for a Secured and Fair Elections, the need to properly address security concerns comes to the fore. It becomes imperative to optimize the utilization of manpower and logistical resources and synchronize security operations with our military counterparts, other Comelec deputized agencies and the stakeholders in general,” said Police Chief Superintendent Elmer Ragadio Soria, PRO8 Regional Director.

Soria added that a total of 1080 policemen will be augmenting the different police stations as additional security forces in securing the transportation of Precinct Count Optical Scanner (PCOS) machines and security of polling centers on Election Day.

PRO8 initially augmented 50 policemen to Calbayog City in Samar last week while 267 more personnel from the Regional Public Safety Battalion 8 (RPSB 8) were deployed to the three Samar provinces on Monday with 98 personnel augmented to Samar, 72 to Eastern Samar and 97 to Northern Samar.

Other augmentation forces will be deployed starting May 8 coming from the Regional Headquarters, National Support Units and those undergoing mandatory schooling at the Regional Training School 8 (RTS8).

Samar, identified as a priority area in the forthcoming polls, will be augmented by 342 policemen, followed by Northern Samar with an augmentation force of 216.

Other deployment distribution is for Eastern Samar with 200 PNP personnel, Leyte and Southern Leyte with 100 personnel for each province, Biliran with 55, Ormoc City with 45 and Tacloban City with 22 augmentation policemen.

“As the lead Comelec-deputized agency for law enforcement and security in Eastern Visayas for the midterm polls, safeguarding the welfare of the electorate and the entire community are our primary objectives aside from ensuring secure and fair elections,” the region’s top cop added.