The Philippine National Police (PNP) officially escalated all operating units within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to full alert status on Friday ahead of the region’s historic parliamentary elections scheduled for Monday.
“As of this date, September 11, we are on full alert status, which will last until September 30,” PNP spokesperson Police Colonel Allen Rae Co confirmed during a news conference at Camp Crame.
The full alert level mandates that every officer remain stationed at their respective assignments to address any potential emergency or sudden contingency.
“Leaves are not allowed. So 100 percent of our personnel (in BARMM) should be present (in their places of assignment),” Co emphasized.
The police official noted that authorities have not detected any concrete threat against the upcoming polling exercise, though active intelligence operations remain ongoing across the region.
“There is none, but we are continuously conducting intelligence gathering and validating of any information that we have received,” Co stated.
Assessing overall readiness, Co shared that security preparations have reached 98 percent completion, with the small remaining margin reserved for real-time situational adaptations.
“We’re all good, all systems go. We are prepared, all systems are in place, all security plans have been laid out. Everything is already okay,” Co said.
“These are the adjustments to be made, contingency plans, so to speak, if something develops, if any situation develops, we will be able to respond when any situation develops,” he added.
Security coverage for the electoral process will be maintained by a contingent of 10,439 police officers deployed across BARMM to ensure order and public safety throughout the vote.