WestMinCom hosts strategic security conference ahead of BARMM polls

Military leaders, election officials and peace advocates gathered at the Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom) headquarters to finalize security and operational plans for the first-ever Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary elections.

The Regional Joint Security Control Center Conference and Campaign Assessment Conference, held at Camp Navarro, comes ahead of the historic vote scheduled for 14 September.

The meeting served as a strategic venue for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to synchronize deployment plans, maritime security and emergency contingencies across the autonomous region.

“The first-ever BARMM parliamentary election is a defining milestone in the history of the Bangsamoro and our nation,” said Lt. Gen. Donald Gumiran, commander of WestMinCom.

“WestMinCom remains fully committed to working alongside Comelec, the PNP, the PCG, OPAPRU (Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity), local government units, and all stakeholders to ensure that every voter can freely exercise the right of suffrage in a safe and peaceful environment,” he added.

Meantime, Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia and regional security chiefs reviewed election security concerns, campaign guidelines and coordination protocols to ensure a credible voting process.

Garcia stressed that the upcoming elections are a landmark event in the ongoing implementation of the Bangsamoro peace process.

Mel Senen Sarmiento, secretary of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity, noted that the parliamentary elections represent the tangible gains of decades of peace negotiations between the government and the Bangsamoro people.