Manila: The Philippine National Police (PNP) will raise a full alert status starting Saturday to ensure a peaceful and orderly midterm elections on May 12. Under this status, police personnel are not allowed to go on leave, ensuring sufficient deployment in communities.

According to Philippines News Agency, the PNP is primarily focused on securing the midterm elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). This initiative was highlighted by Marbil during the launch of the PNP's Joint Anti-Fake News Action Committee (JAFNAC) at Camp Crame. Marbil emphasized the importance of all police officers participating in early voting and working on election day to ensure the safety and security of the electoral process.

In a separate statement, Lt. Gen. Bernard Banac, Commander of Area Police Command-Western Mindanao (APC-WM), confirmed the deployment of 2,831 out of the 3,734 police officers assigned as Special Electoral Board members in the BARMM. These officers, drawn from 14 other police regional offices and the PNP Maritime Group, are stationed across various localities in five provinces and three cities of the BARMM.

Banac highlighted the cooperation between the police, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the Philippine Coast Guard in ensuring an honest, orderly, and peaceful election in the region. As the concurrent commander of the Special Task Force (STF)-BARMM, Banac oversees security and public safety operations for the BARMM elections, covering provinces such as Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Basilan, and Tawi-Tawi; cities like Cotabato, Marawi, and Lamitan; and the 63 barangays of Cotabato province that are part of the BARMM Special Geographical Area.

He also expressed gratitude to local government leaders and candidates for their cooperation and support of the peace initiatives led by APC-WM and STF-BARMM.