COPS SECURE POLLING PRECINCTS. Personnel of the Antique Provincial Police Office secure polling precincts starting Friday (May 10, 2019) during the final testing and sealing of Vote Counting Machines (VCMs). Police said the last day of campaign period peaceful so far. (Photo by Annabel J. Petinglay)
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique -- An official of the Antique Provincial Police Office (APPO) said Saturday the last day of the campaign period for the May 13 mid-term polls is peaceful with no reported untoward incident from any of the municipal police stations.
APPO Deputy Director for Operations, Lt. Col. Norby Escobar, said so far, they have not received any report about an incident that could disturb the election in the 18 municipalities of Antique.
“So far the last day of the campaign period is peaceful,” Escobar said in an interview.
He added there had been no reported confiscation of illegal firearms to be used by private armed groups in their checkpoints.
Escobar appealed to the local candidates and their supporters to continuously observe the safe and peaceful holding of the polls.
“If the candidates or their supporters have complaints, we encourage them to report to the police and not to put the law in their own hands,” the police official said.
He said with the simultaneous final testing and sealing of the Vote Counting Machines (VCMs) in the various municipalities of the province last May 10, police personnel were deployed to safeguard the VCMs at the polling precincts.
“We had police personnel already deployed last May 10,”he said.
He said these police personnel already started to render 24-hour duty at polling precincts, considering that the VCMs will be stored there until after the election.
The police has 1,449 personnel while the Philippine Army has 58 in Antique.
The police and army personnel will assist the Commission on Elections to ensure the orderly conduct of the May 13 polls. (PNA)
