President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. instructed Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. to assist in ensuring the peaceful conduct of the first Bangsamoro Parliamentary election on Monday.

In a broadcast interview on Friday, Teodoro said Marcos ordered him to assist Armed Forces of the Philippines General Antonio Nafarrete and Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Donald Gumiran in ensuring the security of the election.

"To assist the chief of staff and the commanding general of the Philippine Army to ensure the Sept. 14 Bangsamoro parliamentary elections is as free from violence as possible because it is fundamentally important to the Philippines," he said, referring to the instruction from the president.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) expects 2.39 million voters to elect 80 members of the Bangsamoro Parliament, the legislative body of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). These are broken down into 40 party representatives, 32 district representatives and eight sectoral representatives.

The elections, which Marcos said recently are crucial to develop the region, has been postponed four times.

Days prior to the election, the Philippine Army deployed augmentation forces in BARMM.

The Philippine National Police (PNP), which declared full alert to last until Sept. 30, also mounted a large-scale security deployment involving 9,821 personnel to help protect voters, election workers, polling sites, and other vital election facilities.

Col. Allen Rae, the PNP spokesman, said it identified 93 areas of concern in a briefing.

Aside from the voting centers where largest number of contingents of 4,313 will be deployed, police security coverage will also extend to 208 Comelec offices, 218 treasurers’ offices, and 856 checkpoints, while 2,120 Quick Reaction Forces (QRFs) remain positioned to address situations requiring immediate police response.

"Additional capabilities will come from 352 Civil Disturbance Management (CDM) personnel and 1,754 Special Electoral Board (SEB) personnel, creating a layered security arrangement that allows the PNP to address different requirements associated with the electoral process. These forces will complement regular police operations and help maintain order in areas where large numbers of voters and election workers are expected," it stated.

"Police Regional Office BARMM will provide 4,361 personnel for the deployment, while 5,460 augmentation personnel will reinforce the regional police force," the PNP added. Robina Asido/PHS