AFP will deploy more than 40,000 soldiers to secure May 9 elections
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will deploy more than 40,000 troops to secure the May 9 elections, a military spokesman said on Sunday.
"We have allocated more than 40,000 troops for election duties and it may still increase," Col. Ramon Zagala said in a radio interview on Sunday.
"Some of them were already deployed, but I don't have the exact number of how many of the 40,000 are deployed right now but most of them are doing checkpoint because we average about 1,000 checkpoint a day, all over the country," he said.
"Our daily checkpoint is about 2,800. Majority of those troops are used to do the checkpoint," he added.
Zagala said the military can deploy additional troops if requested by the Comelec.
"More than that, we can even commit more, of course we are dependent on what Comelec wants...It will change ... 40,000 is the minimum," he said.
Zagala said security will be more stricter during election day, especially outside the polling precinct.
"Definitely between now and May 9 a lot of the checkpoints are to restrict movements of those who want to do any harm in the election and of course the movement of firearms, checking of firearms. On May 9 itself, it will be the same, plus the physical security of areas that are Comelec-identified, polling precincts but we will just be outside," he said.
Zagala said a total of 33,900 among the 39,000 soldiers who applied for absentee voting were approved by the Comelec. He has no information how many have cast their votes. Robina Asido/DMS
