Gibo commits support to peaceful barangay polls; Comelec gives P40M fund to AFP
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro has committed support to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in ensuring peaceful and orderly barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections on Oct. 30.
The commitment of support was strengthened through the signing of memorandum of agreement between Teodoro and Comelec chairman George Erwin Garcia at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Thursday, Sept. 28.

(From left) Commissioner Ernesto Ferdinand P. Maceda, Jr., Commissioner-in-Charge of the Committee on Kontra Bigay; COMELEC Chairman George Erwin M. Garcia; Secretary of National Defense Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr.; and AFP Chief of Staff Gen Romeo S Brawner Jr., during the Memorandum of Agreement signing among DND, AFP, and COMELEC on Thursday, September 28, 2023, in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City. (photo: DND)
A separate agreement was signed between Garcia and Gen. Romeo Brawner, Jr., chief of the staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) also for the purpose of ensuring a free, orderly and peaceful barangay elections.
“We pledge to work closely with the Comelec in ensuring that this election is a success. If this barangay elections are not successful, there will be internal instability again that will distract the AFP for that matter and even the Coast Guard,” said Teodoro.
Aside from ensuring support for security, Teodoro also assured his support to the Committee on Kontra Bigay which aims to combat the deplorable practice of vote buying and calls for a collective effort to eradicate its influence on the democratic process.
Garcia, for his part, turned over a cheque amounting to P40 million to the military as support fund for the military’s administrative, operational and logistical needs as they perform their functions relative to the upcoming elections.