President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed security and law enforcement agencies to ensure the peaceful, orderly, and credible conduct of the first-ever parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on September 14, Malacañang said on Monday.

“Unang-una, ang nais ng Pangulo, ang order ng Pangulo ay maging mapayapa, ligtas at magkaroon ng malayang halalan sa BARMM,” Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said in a Palace press briefing.

Castro also enumerated measures to be carried out by the Philippine National Police (PNP) in response to the President’s order.

She said these include continued focused law enforcement operations by the police against private armed groups and other security threats, strong coordination between the PNP, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Commission on Elections (Comelec) through the establishment of joint security control centers.

Intelligence gathering, community engagement, and strict implementation of political neutrality among all security personnel are also being implemented, the Palace official said, adding 8,299 PNP personnel would be deployed in BARMM for election security.

And as the election approaches, the number of personnel deployed may be augmented depending on the PNP threat assessment and the Comelec requirements, said Castro.

“Katuwang ng PNP ang AFP at Philippine Coast Guard sa pagpapatibay ng seguridad lalo na sa election areas of concern na tinukoy ng Comelec, upang matiyak ang ligtas, mapayapa at maayos na pagsasagawa ng halalan,” said Castro, citing a PNP statement.

“But, anuman ang mangyayari, ang PNP, AFP at Philippine Coast Guard ay handa para matiyak ang kapayapaan sa halalang darating.”

As to reports of election-related violence, Castro, citing a Comelec statement, said those incidents are not election-related, but considered as personal conflicts. Presidential News Desk