ABOUT 20,000 soldiers will perform election-related duties throughout the country on May 9. including the provision of security in polling centers, the Armed Forces said yesterday.
Last week, the PNP said it was going to deploy about some 56,000 policemen to help secure this year’s elections.
The Armed Forces and the police have been deputized by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for poll-related duties.
AFP spokesman Col. Ramon Zagala said some of the soldiers assigned for election work are actually already deployed, helping man checkpoints of the Comelec that were put up to implement the election gun ban and other security measures.
“We’ve allocated more than 40,000 troops just for election day but we can add more if needed… That’s for the entire Philippines, all over the country. It (number) will cover all regions,” said Zagala adding that recently, the military leadership decided to send 2,000 additional soldiers to areas that are in dire need of troops, especially in local government units that are classified as “red areas” or critical election areas.
“Most of them are already doing checkpoint (operations)… We have daily checkpoint of 2,800 so we are using majority of those troops to do checkpoint,” he said.
Zagala could not immediately say exactly how many of these more than 40,000 soldiers are already deployed.
“The minimum is 40,000,” said Zagala, referring to the soldiers who will be doing election-related duties on May 9.
In the 2026 national election, the Armed Forces also deployed about 40,000 soldiers to ensure orderly and peaceful elections.
Zagala said “between now and May 9, we’re doing a lot of the checkpoints to restrict the movement of those who want to do any harm in the elections and of course limit the movement of firearms.”
“On May 9 itself, it will be the same, plus the physical security in the Comelec-identified (critical areas), polling precincts. But we will just be outside (polling precincts),” said Zagala, referring to the soldiers.
Zagala clarified that soldiers will be deployed in the vicinity of polling precincts if the Comelec says so. “If the people are afraid (to cast their vote), we are there to protect physically the precinct and the people,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) said preparations are in place to ensure some 47,755 inmates or persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) in 475 jail facilities will be able to vote on May 9.
“If a facility has 50 registered voters or less, the PDLs will have to be transported to polling precincts,” said BJMP spokesman Supt. Xavier Solda.
He said special polling precincts will be established in the jail facilities which have 51 or more PDLs who are registered voters. He said these PDLs will be able to vote only for national candidates.
