Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. on Monday commended police commanders, personnel and force multipliers for helping ensure a peaceful and orderly opening of classes nationwide.

With more than 26 million students enrolled for School Year 2026–2027, Nartatez said he was satisfied with the implementation of the security plan covering more than 45,000 public schools across the country.

“I commend all our personnel and all our partners in this particular endeavor. The safe, peaceful and orderly opening of classes would not have been a success without the cooperation and proper coordination with other agencies and stakeholders,” Nartatez said.

More than 55,000 security personnel were mobilized under Oplan Balik-Eskwela. The deployment included 28,751 PNP personnel, 4,079 personnel from other units, and 22,677 force multipliers from partner agencies and community organizations.

Across the country, 9,319 Police Assistance Desks were established in campuses and clustered schools, while 9,525 mobile patrol units were deployed to strengthen police visibility and response capabilities in school zones.

Nartatez said all PNP personnel, backed by force multipliers down to the barangay level, were strategically deployed in coordination with the Department of Education and other government agencies.

He added that police commanders had been instructed to closely monitor developments in their respective areas and make security adjustments if necessary.

“Our personnel on the ground know what to do in any incident that may arise. Everything was carefully coordinated and planned with other government agencies,” Nartatez said.

The PNP chief said police commanders were directed to maintain heightened security throughout the week and sustain police visibility and beat patrols around schools on a regular basis.

Nartatez assured the public that school security operations would not compromise the police force’s broader law enforcement responsibilities.

“Our goal is to make our police forces visible and reliable in responding to all calls for assistance in order to make the people feel safe on the streets, in the community and in their homes at all times,” he said.

He added that coordination with DepEd and local government units would continue to ensure the regular implementation of peace and order measures for the safety of students, parents and school authorities.