PNP deploys 106K cops for Labor Day, 9K for BARMM polls

More than 106,000 personnel of the Philippine National Police (PNP) will be deployed to secure Labor Day activities on 1 May, an event often marked by rallies and mass actions.

In a press briefing at Camp Crame, PNP spokesperson Randulf Tuaño said the police force will be on heightened alert from 30 April to 2 May.

Tuaño said no specific or credible threats have been monitored, but authorities will maintain strict vigilance.

“The PNP continues to monitor for threats, but we are not complacent. We will continue our ongoing monitoring just in case and to provide action or solutions if we see a threat,” he said.

He added that three groups in the National Capital Region have yet to secure rally permits after applying to hold protests in areas not designated as freedom parks, including the U.S. Embassy, UP Diliman, Welcome Rotonda and the DSWD Quezon City area.

Meanwhile, about 9,000 police personnel will be deployed to help secure the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary elections in September.

Police Regional Office-BAR director Jaysen de Guzman said the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard are expected to augment security forces with around 3,000 personnel.

De Guzman said authorities aim to rely on personnel already stationed in Mindanao, including members of the PNP Special Action Force and Mobile Force units, citing their familiarity with the terrain and local conditions.

The BARMM parliamentary elections are scheduled on the second Monday of September, based on a law signed by Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr..

Security officials are closely monitoring potential threats, particularly in Tawi-Tawi, while continuing coordination with political groups to prevent election-related violence.

“We have to consider all threat groups, especially local terrorist groups like what happened before about the encounter between the AFP and the Daulah Islamiyah-Maute Group in Lanao del Sur,” De Guzman said.

He added that authorities are strengthening coordination with political stakeholders to avoid incidents before and during the campaign period.