THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has deployed additional 200 soldiers to reinforce the troops in rendering election security duty on Basilan province, where 11 areas have been flagged as potential election hotspots by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Brigadier General Alvin Luzon, 101st Infantry Brigade (101Bde) commander, said Tuesday, May 6, the additional reinforcements composed of personnel from the 20th Special Forces Company (20SFC) and Composite Company from the Special Forces Regiment (Airborne).
The 20SFC troops came from the Sulu-based 11th Infantry Division 11ID while the Composite Company from the headquarters of the Special Forces Regiment (Airborne) in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija.
Luzon said the Composite Company arrived in Basilan on Friday, May 2, while the Sulu-based 20SFC on Sunday, May 4. They are the second and third reinforcements, respectively.
The troops composed of the first reinforcement to Basilan arrived on April 20 coming from Sulu.
The Comelec The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said that of the 11 areas as potential hotspots, the town of Al-Barka is classified under the "red" category.
The municipalities of Tipo-Tipo and Tabuan-Lasa are classified as "orange" category, and eight areas in the towns of Tuburan, Hadji Mohammad Ajul, and Lamitan City are tagged as "yellow catergory.
The municipality of Akbar is classified by the Comelec as "green" category.
The places under red category are areas with serious armed threats and history of election-related incidents; orange category belongs to areas with serious armed threats; yellow category for areas with a history of election-related incidents; and green category for those with no election-related security concerns. (SunStar Zamboanga)