THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has deployed additional four battalions of troops to ensure the peaceful and orderly conduct of the first Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE).
General Antonio Nafarrete, AFP chief-of-staff, said two of the four battalions came from the 4th Infantry Division and 10th Infantry Division, based in Cagayan de Oro City and Davao de Oro, respectively. The other two came from Luzon.
Nafarrete said two of the four battalions were placed under the operational control of the Maguindanao del Norte-based 6th Infantry Division (6ID) and the other two to the Zamboanga del Sur-based 1st Infantry Division (1ID).
The 6ID has jurisdiction over the provinces of Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Cotabato City, and Special Geographical Area while the 1ID covers the provinces of Lanao del Sur, and Basilan.
The 2nd Marine Brigade is based in Tawi-Tawi, another province under the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm)
“We have enough troops to safeguard the election in Barmm,” Nafarrete said in an interview after he presided the turnover of command at the Western Mindanao Command.
Nafarrete said the focus of deployment of security forces is in the two Maguinanao provinces due to the intense political rivalry.
Meanwhile, Nafarrete has installed Major General Jose Vladimir Cagara as the new acting commander of Westmincom, replacing Lieutenant General Donald Gumiran, the newly-assigned chief of the Philippine Army.
Nafarrete said he has the trust and confidence that Cagara will hurdle the challenges ahead in ensuring the peaceful and orderly conduct of the 1st BPE since he was previously assigned as the 6ID commander.
He also lauded Gumiran for demonstrating that beyond combat power, security is also achieved through disciplined law enforcement, strong interagency cooperation, and sustained engagement within the communities they serve. (SunStar Zamboanga)