Not taking any chances, the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division is utilizing 6,741 troops to ensure a peaceful and orderly Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections in Western Visayas on October 30.
Lt. Col. J-Jay Javines, 3rd Infantry Division Civil Military Operations officer, disclosed the troops consist of military and members of the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) Active Auxiliary from the 301st, 302nd and 303rd Infantry Brigades.
Of the 172 Election Areas of Concern (EACs) in Western Visayas, 51 are in Negros Occidental.
The 3ID has also a Quick Reaction Force (QRF) composed of 66 military officers, 721 enlisted personnel, and 155 CAA members, with 60 mobility assets strategically positioned in Western and Central Visayas provinces.
Javines said the resolute and election-ready personnel of the 3ID will bolster other security forces in conducting checkpoints, securing polling precincts, and performing other election-related tasks, particularly in identified EACs in regions 6 and 7.
The AFP Visayas Command also deployed an additional of 181 security forces in Negros Occidental, which was placed under Comelec control due to occurrence of violent incidents in previous months.
With two months of preparations by security forces for BSKE, Maj. Gen. Marion Sison, 3ID commander, in a statement said, failure to perform their duties is not an option.
Let’s make sure that the voices of our people are heard. No one should be afraid, no one should attempt to intimidate, and no one should be coerced into making payments, Sison said.
(Gilbert Bayoran via The Visayan Daily Star (TVDS), photo courtesy of TVDS)
