By PR | 07:02 PM October 29, 2023
Camp Lapulapu, Cebu City – Following the arrival of the S70i Blackhawk Helicopter in Negros Oriental as an augmentation to the ground troops deployed to secure the upcoming Barangay and SK Elections, the Visayas Command (VISCOM) informs that they are all in and ready for the Barangay and SK Elections in the Visayas region.
“Everything is in place and good to go. Personnel detailed to secure the polling centers have been deployed, focused military operations in the outskirt communities are ongoing, and COMELEC checkpoints and mobility patrols in the urban areas have been sustained. Likewise, the reserved force and stand-by air and naval assets have been pre-positioned to strategic locations where they can provide immediate support when needed,” Lieutenant General Benedict M Arevalo PA, the Commander of VISCOM disclosed.
A total of 17,436 AFP personnel have been deployed by VISCOM in the entire Visayas region to secure the Barangay and SK Elections. Apart from these, a total of 1,620 AFP personnel comprised of Officers, Enlisted Personnel, and CAFGU Active Auxiliary (CAA) are organized as Quick Reaction Forces (QRFs) and strategically pre-positioned in areas per province where they can be immediately mobilized to provide support when needed. 907 of these personnel will cover Region 6; 473 will cover Region 7; and 240 will cover Region 8.
Meanwhile, another six (6) air assets from Tactical Operations Wing Central (TOWCEN) and three (3) naval assets from Naval Forces Central (NFC) have been placed on standby alert and pre-positioned in areas where they can be immediately mobilized to support the ground troops in case of any eventualities that may occur.
“We are committed and highly motivated to accomplish our mandate of ensuring a safe, peaceful, and orderly Barangay and SK Elections in the Visayas region. We cannot and will not allow the CPP-NPA or any threat groups to disrupt the electoral process and sow terror to our people. We want our people to exercise their rights freely, for them to choose a leader who can lead them to a better way of life,” Lt Gen Arevalo added.
As per consolidated data from the three (3) Regional Joint Security Control Centers (RJSCCs), the entire Visayas region has a total of 581 Election Watchlist Areas. 172 of which are in Region 6, where six (6) are categorized as Areas of Concern; 163 are Areas of Immediate Concern; and three (3) are Areas of Grave Concern; 24 are in Region 7, where six (6) are categorized as Areas of Concern, and 18 are categorized as Areas of Immediate Concern; 385 are in Region 8, where 191 are categorized as Areas of Concern, 131 are Areas of Immediate Concern, and 63 are Areas of Grave Concern.
