The Philippine National Police (PNP) has declared 100% preparedness for the upcoming May 12 elections.
With five days to go before the elections, the PNP headquarters launched the Media Action Center, which will operate around the clock until May 18 to receive reports from the National Election Monitoring Center.
The Media Action Center will serve as the central hub for responding to 911 emergency calls, including complaints of vote buying.
A live demonstration was conducted in front of the media, during which the police pledged to respond to calls in under five minutes.
Meanwhile, based on data from the COMELEC, the number of areas under the 'red' category of election areas of concern has dropped to 34, down from 38 announced in January.
The PNP reported a total of 62 election-related incidents by the end of April, with 13 individuals confirmed dead.
PNP Chief PGen. Rommel Francisco Marbil reiterated that Abra will remain under tight watch after a fresh case of alleged arson at a voting center was reported today. This also coincides with the Bangsamoro region, where a task force is already in place.
Moreover, the nationwide deployment of 160,000 police personnel is set to begin tomorrow, May 8.
Police commanders are scheduled to be deployed on May 9 to lead stricter enforcement against vote buying. May 10 marks the final day of the campaign period, while a nationwide liquor ban will be enforced starting May 11, in preparation for the May 12 elections.
