by Miriam G. Desacada
Tacloban City–The Police Regional Office-Region 8 (PRO-8) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) have placed under full alert status the entire Eastern Visayas region for the 2025 National and Local Elections on May 12.
Police Brigadier General Jay Cumigad assured the region of the readiness of the police to secure the 2025. “Despite the challenges, our mission is clear: Safeguard the integrity of the elections. We must work together to guarantee safe, secure, and peaceful elections across the region,” he said.
In implementing the full alert status, the regional command deployed 751 troopers from the Regional Special Operations Task Group to the 1st district of Samar province, and the 3rd and 4th districts of Leyte.
Personnel of the Regional Standby Support Force (RSSF) from the PRO-8 headquarters were sent to Tacloban City and to various barangays adjacent to the metropolis.
According to P/Major Analiza Armeza, officer-in-charge of PRO-8’s Public Information Office, all leaves of absence for all policemen in the region have been suspended in order that the deployment of personnel is effectively carried out.
Cumigad urged the public to be on wary of suspicious activities in their respective areas, and then coordinated with the police in alerting of their observations, so that these will be addressed immediately to secure peaceful elections.
Meanwhile, it was learned that the PNP had deployed 101 members of the PRO-8’s Special Electoral Board Contingent to the PRO of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) to help in securing a peaceful conduct of the coming elections. —Miriam G. Desacada