Over 1,800 police officials to serve as 'media security vanguards' for Eleksyon 2022

Some 1,899 police officials are set to serve as “media security vanguards” that will address threats and security problems of journalists during the 2022 election period, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Friday.

PNP spokesperson and public information office (PIO) chief Police Brigadier General Roderick Alba said he will be the focal person at the national level.

“We are total strong of 1,899,” he said during the launch of “Media Security Vanguards” program of the Presidential Task Force of Media Security (PTFoMS).

The regional PIO chiefs will serve as the focal persons in the regional level, Alba said. Currently, he said the PNP has 133 public information offices in police regional, regional, and city offices nationwide.

A total of 1,766 chiefs of police in the country will be the operating arms of the “Media Security Vanguards” in the coming elections, he said.

According to Alba, focal persons will facilitate, monitor, and work with PTFoMS, while the chiefs of police will implement the directive of focal persons coming from PNP chief Police General Dionardo Carlos.

“Our job is to facilitate appropriate police actions on issues including media security in the 2022 elections,” he said.

If media workers have concerns such as threats against them, they can coordinate with the focal persons from the PNP to address these.

Asked if the program would provide security details to media workers under threat, PTFoMS executive director Joel Sy Egco said the task force could request for it.

“Kapag may ganyang report, ibato niyo agad sa amin. Kami na po magre-request if we need to provide protection, security details until mag-dissipate yung threat. We do that,” Egco said during the launch.

(If there were reports like that, just tell us. We will request if we need to provide protection, security details until the threat dissipates.) —KBK, GMA News