MANILA – Around 2,000 policemen will be deployed in several highly-contested places in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) for Monday’s Barangay Election.
Atty. Rey Sumalipao, Comelec director for ARMM, said that aside from security and other safety concerns, the policemen will also be trained as part of the Special Board of Election Tellers (SBET) that will handle and facilitate the voting procedure and counting on the election day itself.
Sumalipao explained that several teachers declined to serve as BETs in the region due to several threats in their safety. Also, some of their close and distant relatives were vying for a slot in their respective barangays.
“Many of them fear for their safety while others don’t want to be part of the process since some or most of their relatives were candidates too”, Sumalipao said.
He clarified that the Comelec en banc will still vote whether to allow the law enforcers to act as election tellers.
The Comelec ARMM is monitoring 300 barangays in the region placed under the classification “Areas of Immediate Concern” in which, 180 were located in the Province of Lanao del Sur.
