AFP to deploy 40,000 personnel for May 9 polls
MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines are set to deploy some 40,000 field personnel to polling areas around the country to ensure the safety and security of voters on May 9, its spokesperson said Monday.
In an interview aired over DZMM TeleRadyo, Col. Ramon Zagala, spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines said that both the national police and the military would be deploying armed forces under the Joint Peace and Security Coordinating Center in support of the Commission on Elections.
"Our duty is the physical security of the activity. If an area is considered of grave concern, we will just be outside or wherever Comelec needs us...we will only follow their lawful orders for us during this election," Zagala said in mixed Filipino and English.
Asked about the threat of Comelec commissioner Rey Bulay, Zagala said that the AFP received no order to arrest critics of the country's electoral processes.
But can the AFP actually round up critics and send them to jail if an order by the Comelec is made?
"We will support the PNP, which is the organization that has a law enforcement function. If there's someone they're arresting and they can't carry it out, only then will we step in to assist," he said in Filipino.
The military spokesperson added that the AFP, as officers deputized by the Comelec alongside the Philippine National Police, would only be present in support of law enforcement personnel.
Philippine Coast Guard personnel will also be present, he said, and may also be approached for assistance.
Zagala said the military would have "two modes" during the election season and beyond: election mode, where personnel will simply support the PNP and Comelec; and combat mode, where they will "continuously" be on alert versus armed groups such as the New People's Army.
The Comelec has not yet released the full list of supposed hotspots for election-related violence. The release has been withheld from the public since end-March.
Get the latest updates on the Philippines' preparation for the May 2022 national elections amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Main image by The STAR/Michael Varcas
Local executives are optimistic of peaceful elections on Monday in North Cotabato and Basilan provinces.
North Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza says Saturday she is thankful to the Army’s 602nd Infantry Brigade of the 6th Infantry Division and units of the Eastern Mindanao Command in the province for supporting extensively the efforts of the Commission on Elections to ensure the safety of polling activities on Monday.
“We are also thankful to the Cotabato Provincial Police Office and the Police Regional Office-12 for their initiatives towards that goal. We are looking forward to a peaceful electoral exercise in our province on Monday,” Mendoza says. — The STAR/John Unson
Comelec names Director John Rex Laudiangco as the new spokesperson of the commission, replacing James Jimenez.
May 9, election day, has been declared a special non-working holiday.
In a proclamation released Thursday, President Rodrigo Duterte declared the holiday "to enable the people to properly exercise their right to vote, subject to the public health measures of the national government." — report from Alexis Romero
READ: Proclamation No. 1357 declaring May 9, election day, a special non-working holiday @PhilippineStar @Philstarnews pic.twitter.com/EvUUNb8Yuf
— Alexis B. Romero (@alexisbromero) May 5, 2022
The Bangsamoro police has mobilized 6,347 personnel to guard 1,195 polling sites in five provinces under its jurisdiction.
Brig. Gen. Arthur Cabalona, director of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, says Thursday the contingent includes 706 Reaction Standby Support Force and 405 Quick Reactionary Force personnel for deployment to Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur provinces.
Tension has markedly been high in some towns in both provinces owing to the deep-seated political animosity among local clans.
Besides Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao also covers the island provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi and the cities of Lamitan, Marawi and Cotabato. — John Unson
The Commission on Election starts the distribution and conduct of the testing and sealing of the vote counting machines (VCMs) six days prior to the election day in the remote and far flung villages in Zamboanga City.
The early distribution of the VCMs was made with the authority of the Comelec central office following the recommendation of the local poll body here, says District 2 officer Atty. Stephen Roy Cañete.
“We asked permission and we were given the authority by the Comelec central office to start the distribution of the VMCs early. In case there will be glitches we still have enough time to replace the defective VCM,” Cañete says. — The STAR/Roel Pareño
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