Philippines military deploys forces to Muslim region for parliamentary polls

MANILA, the Philippines (MNTV) – Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has deployed soldiers to provide security within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) ahead of its first-ever parliamentary elections on October 13, reports GMA News Online. 

AFP spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla said the number of troops deployed to the region are just “adequate” to avoid making the elections appear militarized. 

“Basically, our troops in the vicinity are all on standby. But we have adequate personnel that we have already deployed. Not excessive so that the elections don’t appear militarized. But sufficient enough to address legitimate security concerns in certain areas. It’s a mix of our regular forces and our specialized units depending on the threat level we’ve identified for specific areas.”

“We also have quick reaction teams that are mobile, they can be deployed immediately to areas where tension suddenly escalates if need be,” she added.  

The Commission on Elections has already declared the election period and gun ban in BARMM from August 14 to October 28.

The poll body estimates that about 2.3 million people will cast their votes during the BARMM elections with 73 seats up for grabs. 

Padilla said the AFP is also working with the local peace committee and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to ensure the peace until Election Day. 

“There are really areas that we have identified as high-risk based on our historical data and current threat assessments. We cannot specify exactly what these locations are for, of course, for operational security reasons,” said Padilla.

“We are working closely with the local peace committee [and] MILF leaders to ensure that the conduct of the elections will be peaceful in areas that traditionally also have tensions,” she added.