Manila, April 1 -- Security forces in Negros Oriental have significantly bolstered election-related checkpoints as the local campaign period intensifies ahead of the May 12 midterm polls, police officials said Tuesday.

The Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO) has expanded its daily checkpoint operations from an initial nine to a comprehensive network covering all major thoroughfares.

Lieutenant Stephen Polinar, NOPPO spokesperson, attributed this escalation to both the creation of the new Negros Island Region Police Regional Office and the heightened mobility of candidates crisscrossing municipal boundaries.

The 24-hour checkpoint system operates in three shifts, combining joint Comelec-PNP-AFP checkpoints enforcing electio...