TACLOBAN CITY – A Catholic priest in Leyte has called on the Philippine Army to increase its presence in the province’s third and fourth districts in the days leading up to the election to ensure a fair, peaceful, and secure voting process.
Fr. Edwin Perito, a civil society organization representative in the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC), emphasized that a stronger military and police presence in villages would help deter election-related crimes and violence.
“We are requesting the army and police to be visible in every village, or at least in sub-villages, especially in the third and fourth districts before the elections, to ensure that voters are not intimidated when casting their votes,” he said.
He stressed that the presence of uniformed personnel would contribute to a peaceful and orderly election.
In response, Brigadier General Noel Vestuir, commander of the 802nd Infantry Brigade, assured that as deputized personnel of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), they are actively supporting the Philippine National Police (PNP) in maintaining security.
“Even before the elections, we have ongoing coordination with the PNP for deployments. Our monitoring continues, and we have strategic plans in place alongside the PNP and COMELEC to ensure security in key areas,” B/Gen. Vestuir said.
The military is currently assisting police forces across its entire jurisdiction, including the third and fourth districts of Leyte, by conducting checkpoints and security operations, which will continue until Election Day.
According to COMELEC’s classification of election hotspots, several towns in Leyte’s third and fourth districts fall under different security categories:
Green Category (no security concerns): Isabel, Kananga, Matag-ob, Merida, and Ormoc City.
Yellow Category (history of election-related violence, partisan rivalry, or private armed groups): Albuera, Palompon, and Villaba.
Orange Category (serious threats due to insurgency and presence of multiple risk factors): Calubian, Leyte, San Isidro, and Tabango.
Authorities are closely monitoring these areas to prevent any incidents that could disrupt the electoral process.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
