Effective Wednesday, all police and military units all over the country will be placed on high alert status, signaling the start of massive and more aggressive operations against groups which threaten to disrupt the peaceful and credible conduct of the historic automated elections on May 10, 2010.

Director General Jesus Verzosa, Chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) said the full alert for police forces and the red alert status hoisted by the military means that there would be intensified intelligence-gathering against enemies, policemen, and soldiers visibility in the streets and target-hardening of voting centers across the country.

Verzosa said the leaves of absence of all police and military personnel were also cancelled to make sure that they will have enough forces to maintain peace and order from Wednesday until the proclamation of winners are made by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Police forces in Mindanao, including the entire Special Action Force (SAF), have been on full alert since the start of the election period on January 10. The military hoisted the red alert status nationwide on Friday last week.

In Metro Manila, the full alert status took effect Thursday last week, said Superintendent Rommel Miranda, spokesman of the National Capital Region Police Office.

All the security measures that will be implemented, he said, is aimed at ensuring that all threat groups, particularly the communist rebels and Partisan Armed Groups (PAGs), will not be given any opportunity to sow fear among the voters and sabotage the electoral process.

“The biggest challenge is for us to keep our people calm and keep order in the polling precincts. So our activities have shifted to the precinct level because it is where the voters will converge,” said Verzosa.

“We are doing all of this because it is our duty to protect the people, the conduct of the elections and the results,” he added.

Deputy Director General Edgardo Acuña, commander of the PNP's National Task Force HOPE (Honest, Orderly and Peaceful Elections), said the concentration of their operations is against the Abu Sayyaf and the erring Moro rebels in Mindanao and the communist rebels and PAGs across the country.

Acuña said police commanders were specifically instructed to deal with local New People's Army (NPA) in Surigao del Sur and Negros provinces where an increase of the harassments on local candidates were reported.

The official said elite forces were also deployed in traditional election hot spots in the country to deal with the remaining 107 confirmed PAGs across the country, most of them were monitored at the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

In Luzon, the deployment and intelligence-gathering are concentrated in Abra, La Union, Masbate, Ilocos Norte, and Cagayan while Eastern Samar and Iloilo will be the focus in the Visayas.

In Mindanao, the provinces of Maguindanao, North Cotabato Surigao del Sur will be prioritized, along with Basilan and Sulu where ASG, most of its members moonlighting as armed goons of local political warlords.

“All our police forces will be in the areas where they are badly needed,” said Acuña.

“Most of our personnel are already deployed to address any eventuality that may occur during the conduct of local and national elections,” he said.

By Wednesday for instance, Acuña said they expect all the policemen to have already activated the Security Assistance Desk in 36,679 voting centers across the country.

“Our personnel will be augmented by forces from the military, polie multipliers, government militiamen, council of elders and even representatives from the media,” said Acuña.

Acuña said the security alert status for both the police and the military are expected to remain until the remaining election period.

“We are optimistic that everything will be alright,” said Acuña.

“This will be an opportunity for both the PNP and the AFP to show that we remain focus on rendering nothing less than the best services we can give and with only the interest of the Filipino people foremost in hearts and minds,” said Verzosa for his part.