Leyte: Brig. Gen. Noel Vestuir, commander of the Army's 802nd Infantry Brigade, assured the public that uniformed personnel will be on hand to ensure the safe conduct of the May 12 mid-term polls. In an interview with journalists here, he said that as deputized personnel of the Commission on Election (Comelec), the military has been assisting the Philippine National Police (PNP).

According to Philippines News Agency, the military and police have an agreement for deployment ahead of the elections. Brig. Gen. Vestuir emphasized continued monitoring and strategic deployment plans with the PNP and Comelec. This response follows an appeal by Fr. Edwin Perito, a civil society organization representative at the Leyte Provincial Peace and Order Council, for increased visibility of uniformed personnel to prevent voter intimidation.

Perito requested army and police presence in every village, especially in the third and fourth districts, to ensure a peaceful and orderly election. Comelec has categorized the towns of Albuera, Palompon, and Villaba under a yellow alert due to suspected election-related incidents, political rivalry, and private armed groups.

The towns of Calubian, Leyte, San Isidro, and Tabango fall under the orange category, indicating the presence of two or more factors from the yellow category and a serious threat from communist terrorist groups.

Meanwhile, the PNP Eastern Visayas regional office deployed 88 additional personnel on March 27 in the fourth district of Leyte under its Regional Special Operations Task Group. Brig. Gen. Jay Cumigad, PNP Eastern Visayas Regional Director, stated that the initiative aims to strengthen security operations, deter potential threats, and uphold electoral process integrity.

The additional police force is stationed in Palompon, Isabel, Merida, Matag-ob, Albuera, and Kananga, where they will man control points, checkpoints, and key entry-exit areas to enhance security and visibility.