PNP all set for May 13 elections

With more than a week to go, the Philippine National Police (PNP) is all set for the midterm elections on May 13, 2013.

The PNP will deploy around 21,885 police men and women or 50 percent of its personnel who are performing administrative jobs and those undergoing training to augment troops in the field, especially in the 15 identified election hotspots, starting on May 8 up to May 16, 2013.

According to the PNP, the deployment of uniformed personnel performing administrative duties will be in different municipal and city police stations nationwide as supplementary personnel in the conduct of patrols, checkpoints and anti-criminality operations.

Police Director Catalino S. Cuy, PNP Director for Personnel and Records Management (DPRM) and Commander of Task Group Human resource of Task Force SAFE 2013 said that the deployment personnel is covered with Special Orders for their temporary detail.

Secretary of Interior and Local Government Mar Roxas earlier launched OPLAN "Last Two Weeks" that needs full administrative and operational PNP functions to further intensify the security coverage before, during, and after the election.

Likewise, the implementation of maximum deployment includes the activation of the PNP Reactionary Standby Support Force (PNP-RSSF) composed of 1,230 uniformed personnel from the Directorial Staff (D-Staff), 2,689 National Support Units (NSUs) and 6,273 Regional Headquarters (RHQs) administrative personnel.

Some 718 PNP uniformed personnel undergoing training at the Philippine Public Safety College (PPSC) will also be deployed together with 1,046 trainees from National Police College (NPC), 9,549 from the Police National Training Institute (PNTI), 143 from the PNP's Intelligence Training Group (ITG) who are undergoing schooling, and the 237 newly graduates of Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) class of 2013 will also augment the police force.

Meanwhile, PNP Chief Director General Alan Purisima said that the deployment of personnel of the Special Action Force (SAF), a specialized unit of the PNP, will be based on its own deployment plan in coordination with the PNP Directorate for Operations. In addition, as a Specialized Reactionary Support Force, SAF personnel will be mobilized under a strategic arrangement to be determined by DO in coordination with the SAF Director. (PNA)