Eastern Visayas tightens security as police map 26 election hotspots
TACLOBAN, Philippines – Over 10,000 soldiers, police officers, and Philippine Coast Guard personnel are set to fan out across Eastern Visayas as they brace for likely election-related violence ahead of the May polls in the region where more than a dozen towns have been identified as hotspots.
The massive deployment is aimed to secure polling areas, election materials, and Eastern Visayas’ 3.2 million voters and communities, especially in places flagged as areas of concern.
“This initiative aims to deter voter intimidation, prevent election-related violence, and safeguard the electoral process, ultimately ensuring the credibility and legitimacy of the election,” said Army Captain Jefferson Mariano, public affairs chief of the Eastern Visayas Army Division, in an interview on Friday, January 17.
The Philippine National Police has classified the 26 municipalities in Eastern Visayas into three levels of concern: 12 identified as “areas of concern,” 13 as “areas of immediate concern,” and one as an “area of grave concern.”
The Army’s 8th Infantry Division, which leads the region’s Joint Task Force (JTF) Storm, has coordinated with the PNP and the Coast Guard to set up a network of joint checkpoints.
Mariano said the checkpoints would be set up during the election period, and distributed to the following areas across the region:
- 17 in Northern Samar
- 20 in Eastern Samar
- 23 in Samar
- 12 in Leyte
- 6 in Southern Leyte
- 1 in Biliran
Mariano said strict security measures aim to enforce the Commission on Elections gun ban and deter any threat to public safety.
The Army announcement came two days following a Regional Joint Security Control Center (RJSCC) conference at the Army headquarters in Catbalogan City where discussions focused on comprehensive security deployment plans, threat assessments, and proactive measures to mitigate risks.
Army Major General Ariel Orio, 8th ID commander, said the military would remain non-partisan in Eastern Visayas and elsewhere as it carries its role in safeguarding democracy.
Orio also called on citizens in Eastern Visayas to collaborate with security forces “to create an environment conducive to a free and fair electoral process in the region.”
The country began a five-month election period for the 2025 midterms on Sunday, January 12, which comes with a nationwide gun ban. The official campaign period, however, starts February 11 for national candidates and March 28 for local candidates.– Rappler.com