AFP deploys 118,000 troops to BSKE areas of concern

The Armed Forces of the Philippines on Sunday said it deployed 118,000 servicemen to the 361 areas of concern in the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections.

According to AFP Spokesman Medel Aguilar, almost a thousand of the troops were deployed in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.

“Aside from the manpower, we also offered our transportation assistance na makatulong dun sa preparation and at the same time yung ating communication system. ‘Yan ang mga isa [sa mga bagay na] we have committed and we have provided the COMELEC to support itong coming BSKE 2023,” Aguilar said.

He added that the AFP was confidently looking forward to a “secure, free, orderly... election” and that the troops would remain non-partisan in the election.

“We have to assure our communities that it will be safe through our presence. We are always in support [of] the COMELEC, and to our partner na PNP, together with the PCG, sa mga deployment and mga ating equipment or transportation used,” Aguilar said.

The AFP would remain on red alert nationwide until October 31, and would be ready to extend the alert should there be a need for it.

“We try to prioritize by identifying yung mga itong red categories, yellows ano, dun yung preponderance ng mga augmentation ng troops to support particularly dun sa mga areas na kinakailangan,” said the AFP spokesperson.

Aguilar noted that there were only a few incidents of election-related violence, and hopefully, that could be maintained through the AFP's presence.

“Doon na lang tayo sa visibility, presence, at the same time our security operations [that are] ongoing,” he added. — DVM, GMA Integrated News