Army deploys 400 troops to Lanao del Sur from Zamboanga Peninsula for polls

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

'There should be no failure of election in Lanao at all cost,' says Army 1st Infantry Division commander Major General Yegor Baroquillo Jr.

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – The Army has deployed more than 400 additional soldiers from the Zamboanga Peninsula region to Lanao del Sur as authorities step up security measures in the Bangsamoro province less than a month before the midterm elections.

The 1st Infantry Division activated the Tabak Provisional Battalion and fielded the soldiers to carry out election security operations in critical areas in Lanao del Sur, a province historically marked by electoral challenges and security concerns.

Major General Yegor Baroquillo Jr., 1st ID commander, activated the Tabak Provisional Battalion on Monday, April 21, and deployed the soldiers from Zamboanga del Sur to help ensure safe, peaceful, and credible elections in Lanao del Sur where 20 areas were flagged as potential election hotspots by the Commission on Elections (Comelec). 

Many places in Lanao del Sur have a long history of electoral challenges and security concerns. The 20 areas of concern are among 32 locations in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) categorized as “red” or high-risk zones.

Baroquillo said the soldiers from the 1st ID would augment maneuver brigades for the conduct of security operations in Lanao del Sur.

He said the deployment was part of broader inter-agency coordination among the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Comelec, and the Philippine National Police to preempt and neutralize threats of violence, intimidation, or electoral sabotage.

“We will not allow any force, internal or external, to undermine the sanctity of the ballot. Our mandate is clear, we protect the vote, defend the people’s will and uphold peace and order, and in this regard, we will follow the mantra of the Comelec that there should be no failure of election in Lanao at all cost,” he said.

The deployment came as the military and police tightened security in the town of Pualas, Lanao del Sur, where the Comelec started work this week to manually remove 1,750 names from the voters’ list following a court order that declared them fictitious.

Pualas is one of the places in Lanao del Sur identified as areas of concern

Tensions have escalated and cases of gun violence have taken place in other towns in Lanao del Sur.

In early April, a village chief was killed in an ambush in Malabang town, Lanao del Sur. The victim, identified as Binhar Alon Jawad of Baraas in Picong town, was headed to a graduation ceremony when still unidentified gunmen opened fire. His driver was wounded, and police have yet to identify any of the suspects. 

In late February, gunmen shot and killed former Lumbaca-Unayan mayor Abdulazis Aloyodan in broad daylight outside his home in Lanao del Sur. Aloyodan’s widow is the mayor of the town, Jamalia Aloyodan. – Rappler.com