NCRPO ready for polls

MANILA, Philippines - The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) is ready for any eventuality during today’s midterm elections.

NCRPO chief Director Leonardo Espina said yesterday at least 10,000 police officers will secure 730 polling centers in Metro Manila while another 10,000 will carry out anti-crime duties.

“We will be everywhere. We are ready to receive complaints with regard to the election and in the aspect of anti-criminality,” Espina said in an interview.

The police officers, Espina pointed out, would be deployed some 50 meters radius away from the polling centers.

The NCRPO also established Joint Security Assistance Desks (JSAD) in 730 polling centers that would be manned by six or 10 policemen, who are all under the guidance of an officer of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

“We cannot act on a certain complaint unless told to do so by an election officer,” Espina said in his directive to his men.

As of yesterday, Espina received no reports of any violent incidents in certain areas of Metro Manila, as noted that the Comelec placed Taguig City under its list of “areas of immediate concern.”

He said Manila, Muntinlupa, Caloocan and Pasay – where the mayoralty seat is hotly contested – have been reported to be peaceful so far.

“It’s all systems go for us,” said Espina noting that his men have been deployed in polling centers since Monday, the start of the distribution of Precinct Count Optical Scan machines to the precincts.

According to Espina, the NCRPO’s forces will be beefed up by personnel from the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame and nearby police regional offices, the PNP Training Command and the PNP Academy.

The reserve forces will be on standby at the NCRPO headquarters in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City.