PRO9 DIRECTOR UNVEILS AFTER SECURITY OPERATION IN WM

 By Ariel Tolorio Huesca

Western Mindanao Police Director Chief Supt Juanito Vaño Jr., presided yesterday a command conference attended by all provincial/city directors and heads of different police offices in the region to assessed their individual unit performances and to spelled-out their election security operation report as carefully planned and implemented in Zamboanga Peninsula since the start of the election period on January 13, 2013 up to the post election stage.

     Implanted as Regional Tasks Group “SAFE 2013” created and organized in November 23, 2012 tasks to oversee the security preparations for the just concluded midterm elections, of which a series of RJSCC conferences were conducted with stakeholders in the region where the regional police office has came up with the so-called CMC 41-31 regarded as “PRO9 Synchronized Security Plan for SAFE 2013”.

     Chief Supt Vaño pointed out that the coverage of  plan as laid down, entails the security provisions for the storage, delivery and retrieval of PCOS machines and accessories, ballots and other election paraphernalia and security of the Ballot Election Inspectors (BEIs), polling centers, canvassing centers, cell sites and the voters.

      He said, in the execution of the plan, the regional police office has employed and deployed a total number of 6,217 PNP personnel as augmentation police forces coming from the Regional Headquarters, National Support Units and police trainees of RTS9 and further complemented with some 4,205 AFP personnel from the 101^st Brigade, 102^nd Brigade of the 1^st ID, 3^rd Air Division, PAF, Task Force Zamboanga, Coast Guard, Mobile Maritime Group 9, and Naval Force for Western Mindanao.

      Meanwhile, the PRO9 command group and some 3^rd level command staffs were dispatched to serve as Area Supervisors in the three provinces of the region, including Zamboanga City and in Isabela City, Basilan.

      Laying the groundwork for the secure and fair election, the PRO9 reported the arrest of ten (10) violators of vote buying and seized from their possessions and control of three caliber .45 pistols, three MCs XR 200 with no visible plate numbers, sample ballots, and cash of different denominations amounting to a total of Php 502,200.00.

     “By taking away these instruments of violence, we are effectively immobilizing the activities of some threat groups, criminal elements and partisan armed groups that may affect the peaceful and tranquility of the Midterm polls”, he stressed.

      Chief Supt Vaño disclosed, during the actual day of election, there were 108 PCOS machines that malfunctioned, of which, 47 were repaired while nine others were totally replaced and the remaining 52 unserviceable PCOS were no longer recycled.

      He said, the accomplished ballots intended to be scanned by these PCOS were fed to the other PCOS at nearby precincts adding that the 3,053 units of PCOS machines deployed in PRO9 AOR during the election period were already retrieved.

      The implementation of the PRO9 Synchronized Security Plan in coordination the Armed Forces of the Philippines and guided consultation with the COMELEC in the region has provided the entire Zamboanga Peninsula a “Generally Peaceful” 2013 Midterm Polls, Chief Supt Vaño added.