BARMM police seek 3,000 more cops amid worsening election violence concerns

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Police in the Bangsamoro region also want broader authority to conduct searches at checkpoints, including those involving vehicles belonging to influential figures and politicians

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – The Philippine National Police (PNP) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has called for the deployment of an additional 3,000 police officers to bolster security in the region ahead of the upcoming May elections.

The appeal comes amid growing concerns over election-related violence in the region, with the PNP seeking to bolster its capacity to safeguard both polling precincts and public order.

The security situation in BARMM has worsened this year, with a series of violent incidents. Since January, the predominantly Muslim region has already seen at least 87 cases of gun attacks, while 143 communities have been identified as areas of heightened concern in the lead-up to the elections.

CHECK. Police check motorists as they implement the election gun ban in Cotabato City. Ferdinandh Cabrera/Rappler

The police have become increasingly vocal in their calls for enhanced powers to curb the violence, with a request made to the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) to grant law enforcement broader authority to conduct searches at checkpoints, including those involving vehicles belonging to influential figures and politicians. 

The appeal, however, has not yet been addressed by the BTA, leaving police in a precarious position as they try to contain the violence.

Brigadier General Romeo Macapaz, director of PNP-BARMM, confirmed that the request for expanded checkpoint powers was submitted well before the official election period. The letter to the BTA specifically seeks a resolution granting police officers the authority to search all vehicles. 

“This includes private, public, or even vehicles of influential individuals or politicians,” Macapaz said.

However, the BTA has yet to take up the request, and until it does, police in BARMM remain bound by the strict limitations. The present legal framework allows only visual inspections at checkpoints unless a search warrant is obtained, putting officers at a severe disadvantage when dealing with those who refuse to comply with the law, including influential figures who ignore the election gun ban.

To counter the escalating violence, the police have ramped up their efforts, intensifying patrols and deploying CCTV cameras at critical border checkpoints. 

Macapaz said “maneuvering forces” have also been dispatched to areas with high crime rates, though these measures have yet to make a significant dent in the underlying issues.

He said one of the biggest challenges facing law enforcement remains the prevalence of loose firearms, a deeply ingrained aspect of the region’s culture. 

For many in BARMM, firearms are not only tools of self-defense but also symbols of status and power. Macapaz acknowledged the difficulty of changing this mindset, stressing the need for sustained community engagement and education to address the underlying cultural factors contributing to the violence.

“Changing this mindset requires extensive community engagement and education,” Macapaz said. “If we don’t educate our public and change their thinking, we will have a really hard time stopping the killings.”

Macapaz also noted the disturbing cultural tendency in some communities to view retaliatory violence as a form of justice. 

“In our understanding, it is a form of justice for them when they retaliate. No one complains, they just want to get even. That’s one of our concerns,” he said.

As the May elections draw closer, BARMM continues to rank high on the list of regions facing serious security risks, and the police face a daunting challenge in balancing the need for tighter security with the constraints imposed by cultural norms and legal limitations. – Rappler.com