MAJOR General Ignatius Patrimonio, 11th Infantry Division and Joint Task Force (JTF)-Sulu commander, through a biking event dubbed “Secure, Accurate, Free Election (Safe) 2022 Biking,” inspected the readiness and security plan of the command’s subordinate units in Sulu.
Patrimonio spearheaded the Safe 2022 biking event on Saturday, April 30, to meticulously oversee the security preparations for the May 9 National and Local Election (NLE) in the province.
“Together with some of my unit commanders and staff, we rode our respective bicycles as our means of transportation in visiting our subordinate units to personally check their security plans and preparations for the upcoming May 9 NLE,” Patrimonio said.
He underscored the efforts of the government to achieve a Secure, Accurate, Free, and Fair Election (Safe) 2022 through biking when they conducted the inspection.
“Aside from the physical benefits that we get, biking is our way of information campaign to the community for the peaceful and orderly conduct of the election in the province of Sulu,” he said.
Patrimonio, accompanied by 38 military bikers, traversed a total of 59 kilometers of paved road from the headquarters of JTF Sulu in Camp Bautista, Jolo, the province’s capital, and passed through the area of responsibility of the 1101st Infantry Brigade in Sitio Bayug in Samak village, Talipao and 4th Marine Brigade headquarters in Tanduh Bato, Luuk.
Brigadier General Eugenio Boquio and Colonel Vincent Mark Anthony, commanders of the 1101st Infantry Brigade and 4th Marine Brigade, respectively, briefed Patrimonio on the preparations for the May 9 NLE.
During the meeting, Patrimonio reiterated the guidance of General Andres Centino, chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and Lieutenant General Alfredo Rosario Jr., commander of Western Mindanao Command, to remain non-partisan and to properly perform the election duties and responsibilities.
“While we bolster our efforts of neutralizing the remaining Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) bandits, let us not lose sight of our primary duty of protecting the Filipino people and securing the sanctity of the ballots during the election,” he told the troops as he
urged them to do their best to ensure the safety of the electorates and the ballots. (SunStar Zamboanga)