PNP to deploy 16,000 personnel for BARMM polls

Some 16,000 police personnel will be deployed to secure the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Parliamentary Elections scheduled on October 13, 2025, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Wednesday.

Police Lieutenant General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., acting chief of the PNP, told reporters that, "Kung hindi ako magkamali about 16,000 additional forces or components to the current strength of the PNP including other units."

(If I am not mistaken about 16,000 additional forces or components will be added to the current strength of the PNP including other units at BARMM.)

"Kung kulang, dadagdagan upon our recommendation to the Commission on Elections (Comelec). The Comelec is deputized lang ang PNP," he added.

(If that will not be enough, the number will be increased upon our recommendation to the Commission on Elections. The PNP is only deputized by the Comelec.)

Nartatez said the PNP is checking if there are threats that may derail the conduct of the BARMM polls, such as private armed groups, criminal gangs, and terrorists.

"Guns, goons and gold. So pinag-aralan natin in the past, ilan at sino ang gumawa ng karahasan doon sa area at kung anong area. So they have the data already," he said.

(Guns, goons and gold. So we studied past incidents to see how many and who committed violence in a certain area. So they have the data already.)

Nartatez said the data on the areas of concern for the BARMM polls will be released by the PNP's public information office (PIO). GMA News Online has reached out to the PNP PIO for the data, but it has yet to respond as of posting time.

On Monday, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said it has deployed enough forces to secure the BARRM polls.

AFP spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla said the number of troops deployed to the region are just "adequate" to avoid making the historic elections appear militarized. 

"Basically, 'yung tropa natin within the vicinity all on standby po 'yan. But we have adequate personnel that we have already deployed. Hindi excessive para hindi naman maging militarized itong elections noh. Pero sufficient enough para ma-address ang legitimate security concerns in certain areas. Mix po 'yan ng regular forces natin at mga specialized units natin, depende sa na-identify natin na threat level ng specific areas," she said.

(Basically, our troops in the vicinity are all on standby. However, we have adequate personnel that we have already deployed. Not excessive so that the elections don't appear militarized, but sufficient enough to address legitimate security concerns in certain areas. It's a mix of our regular forces and our specialized units, depending on the threat level we've identified for specific areas.) — VDV, GMA Integrated News