Mayor wants cops outside from BARMM to secure barangay elections
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TACURONG CITY – A mayor in Maguindanao del Sur is advocating for an unconventional approach to secure the province’s polling sites during the upcoming barangay elections on October 30.
Mayor Mohajeran Balayman of Pandag has proposed enlisting the assistance of police forces from outside the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) for election security.
Balayman believes that this measure will contribute to the integrity of the electoral process by virtue of the fact that these police personnel are not local residents and, therefore, have no affiliations with the voters in the communities where they will be stationed.
According to Balayman, this detachment from the local populace is essential to eliminate any potential biases or conflicts of interest that might arise during the barangay elections.
An ideal solution, the mayor said, would involve units from the Police Regional Office-12 serving as electoral boards not only in his hometown but also in various areas within Maguindanao del Sur.
His motivation stems from concerns over electoral fraud that marred the May 2022 elections in his municipality.
This proposal was thoroughly discussed during a joint third-quarter meeting held on Monday, bringing together key entities such as the Maguindanao Provincial Peace and Order Council, the Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Council, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, and the Provincial Ecological Solid Waste Management Board.
The meeting took place at the provincial capitol in Buluan municipality.
Balayman has received a vote of confidence in the form of approval and support from Maguindanao Governor Mariam Sangki-Mangudadatu regarding his proposal.
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