Around 10,000 members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) will be deployed in various locations in the Eastern Visayas Region in coordination with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) 8 to ensure safe, orderly, and credible National and Local Elections in May 2025.

In the Regional Joint Security Control Center Conference facilitated by the 8th Infantry Division on the second week of January 2025 in Camp Vicente Lukban, Catbalogan City, Province of Samar, election security measures to be implemented in Region 8 were tackled to maintain peaceful, honest, and fair polls.

The law enforcers will focus tightly on the 26 towns classified by the COMELEC as “areas of concern.”

Twelve of the 26 towns are placed under “Areas of Concern” category, 13 are under “Areas of Immediate Concern,” while one town is under “Areas of Grave Concern.”

To further strengthen security, the AFP-PNP-PCG checkpoints are to focus tightly on 17 stations in Northern Samar, 20 in Eastern Samar, 23 in Samar Province, 12 in Leyte Province, six in Southern Leyte, and one in Biliran Province.

The law enforcers will be tasked to implement the COMELEC gun ban to ensure peace and order in the region during the election period.

(via Bong Moscosa, Albert Aballe/GMA Regional TV Balitang Bisdak)