The government's priority recipients of COVID-19 vaccines include about a quarter of the 150,000-strong Armed Forces of the Philippines, its new chief said on Tuesday.

Soldiers on the priority list include those who are serving in the frontlines of pandemic control, said AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Cirilito Sobejana.

"Sa total population po ng Armed Forces, ang mauuna po ay 25 percent lamang dahil siyempre iniintindi rin natin iyong ibang sektor ng ating populasyon," he said in a public briefing.

(Out of the total population of the Armed Forces, only 25 percent will go first because we are also thinking about the other sectors of our population.)

The "strategically deployed" military will help in the transportation of vaccines, Sobejana said.

The Philippines hopes to inoculate two-thirds of its population or around 70 million people this year.

Health workers, the elderly, indigents, people with comorbidities, and frontliners are on top of the priority list.

• LIST: Sub-groups in COVID-19 vaccination priority