More Soldiers Deployed to BARMM for Election Security

COTABATO CITY — The Army’s 10th Infantry Division (ID) on Sunday dispatched two more units to help secure polling sites in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) during the Sept. 14 parliamentary elections. The commander of 10th ID, Major Gen. Alvin V. Luzon, personally led Sunday’s send-off rites for their 67th Infantry Battalion (IB), to support the election security duties of the 6th Infantry Division in Central al Mindanao, and their 102nd Division Reconnaissance Company, bound for Basilan province for the same mission. The symbolic event was held at the headquarters of the 10th ID in Camp General Manuel Yan in Mawab town in Davao de Oro, attended by officials of the division. The 6th ID has jurisdiction over BARMM’s Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur provinces and Cotabato City, where the Bangsamoro regional government center is located. Basilan, also a component-province of BARMM, is covered by the Army’s 101st Infantry Brigade under the 1st Infantry Division. “The personnel of these two units had been ordered to do their best, perform their election security assignments under the guidance of the Commission on Elections to the best they can,” Mr. Luzon told reporters on Monday, referring to the 67th IB and the 102nd Reconnaissance Company. The 10th ID was augmented last month with its 28th Infantry Battalion, the 602nd Infantry Brigade of 6th ID, to help secure eight towns in the Bangsamoro Special Geographic Area under the BARMM government, but are inside Cotabato province in Region 12. Captain Steffi P. Salanguit, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, told reporters on Monday that all of their units in BARMM’s five provinces, Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Lanao del Sur, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi, and three cities, Lamitan, Marawi and Cotabato are all set for the elections. Ms. Salanguit said local executives in BARMM had committed to their director, Police Brig. Gen. Christopher Abecia, to help ensure safe and credible elections in their respective provinces and cities. — John Felix M. Unson