The chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) yielded Sunday that police need civilians to assist in securing the national and local elections on May 10.

With Election Day just 14 days away, the PNP is shoring up as much support as it can from various sectors to secure the country’s first automated polls against threat groups, poll cheats and saboteurs.

Director-General Jesus Verzosa, PNP chief, said that beginning this week, police will be holding a forum in as many areas in the country as possible to encourage religious and cause-oriented groups to organize their members in assisting the PNP in its security efforts.

Verzosa admitted that this partnership is essential as one of the main concerns raised by local police commanders is the insufficient number of policemen to maintain peace and order on May 10.

“The main concern that we have discussed is the seeming insufficient number of personnel… especially in the disposition of our personnel, our units, and also the movement of PCOS (Precinct Count Optical Scan) machines, and how we will secure the different polling places,” said Verzosa.

While most of the other concerns, particularly in the transport of PCOS machines and election materials have already been addressed, the PNP Chief said there is really a need to augment the security forces on May 10.

One of the measures being eyed is to seek the assistance of the local community leaders in making the elections clean and orderly.

“We will be conducting a national forum at the different police stations to seek the help of non-government organizations and the different concerned sectors so that we will be helped out in the establishment of public assistance centers in the different polling centers to help guide our voters,” said Verzosa.

The PNP is the main security agency tasked to secure the elections, with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) serving as augmentation forces.

While recognizing the additional forces from the military for this year's elections, Verzosa said they still need more personnel, what with the fact that 35 percent of the total number of towns and cities in the country is under election watch list.

He, however, said that they will maximize everything that they have, specially in dealing with threat groups in hot spot areas such as Masbate, Abra and the entire Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

"What we'll be doing is to re-align, to change the deployment in some areas towards the threatened areas and this is the normal thing that we do whenever there are deficiencies in the number of logistics, or the number of personnel that should be dispatched," said Verzosa.

But overall, Verzosa said they are foreseeing a peaceful and credible elections this year, as he allayed fears of rumors of massive election failure on May 10.

"It's all system go. The PNP and AFP are solid in all the activities to ensure that our elections will be honest, orderly and peaceful," said Verzosa.

Chief Superintendent Leonardo Espina, PNP spokesman, said they attirbute the successful laying out of security measures to their preparations as early as March last year.