Logistics and troop buildup underscore costly security efforts for historic local elections in Bangsamoro
Cagayan de Oro City, April 29, 2025 — The Police Regional Office 10 (PRO10), led by Regional Director PBGEN Jaysen C. De Guzman, conducted a send-off ceremony today for 400 police personnel who will serve as members of the Special Electoral Board (SEB) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). The ceremony was held at Camp 1Lt Vicente G. Alagar in Lapasan, Cagayan de Oro City.
The officers are part of a nationwide deployment of 3,467 police personnel from the Philippine National Police (PNP) who will be dispatched to BARMM to assist in ensuring safe, secure, and credible elections on May 12, 2025. This is in addition to the three extra battalions recently committed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to secure the region, particularly the mainland areas of BARMM where tensions are expected to be high.
The event was attended by COMELEC Region 10 Assistant Regional Election Director Atty. Maria Dulce Cuevas-Banzon, representing Regional Election Director Atty. Renato A. Magbutay. Officials emphasized the critical role of these officers in maintaining peace and upholding the integrity of the electoral process in an area long marked by historical conflict and political volatility.
“These personnel have undergone extensive training to ensure that the elections in BARMM will be conducted in an orderly and credible manner,” said PBGEN De Guzman. “This deployment is a manifestation of our full commitment to democracy.”
The High Cost of Democracy in Bangsamoro
While the Bangsamoro people prepare to participate in a landmark democratic process, questions must be raised about the steep cost of securing this election.
The deployment of an additional 3,467 police officers — 400 from Northern Mindanao alone — and three full battalions from the AFP represents a massive logistical and financial undertaking. Imagine the daily expenses for food, transport, allowances, fuel, and coordination efforts across multiple provinces. These costs are borne by taxpayers — a burden intensified by the fragile security situation that continues to demand military-grade solutions for civil processes like voting.
Elections should be a celebration of democracy, not a militarized operation that resembles a security crisis. While the presence of forces is justifiable in areas where violence is a real threat, their sheer number speaks volumes about the persisting instability in the region. It also reflects the failure of past governance structures to build lasting peace and trust in the electoral process.
This should be a wake-up call. Long-term peace and development in the Bangsamoro cannot rest solely on the shoulders of the PNP and AFP. It requires a deeper commitment from national and regional governments to address poverty, clan politics, and armed groups through sustainable, community-driven programs.
Until then, every election in BARMM will be an expensive gamble — not only in pesos, but in peace.