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.
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"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.