Philippine military re-allocates forces to ensure election safety

The Armed Forces of the Philippines ( AFP) is re-aligning its forces to ensure the peace and orderliness of the upcoming midterm election on May 13, said AFP deputy chief of staff for operations Brigadier General Aurelio Baladad on Sunday. "At the ground level, if they (commanders) think that such an area is one of concern, if its prone to violence, they can put in place a preponderance of forces," Baladad said in a phone interview. "At the level of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, we have troops ready to secure the elections, of course in coordination with the PNP (Philippine National Police)," Baladad said, adding that coordinating centers have been created with the police. He said the coordinating centers were established so that military and police units can "integrate" their strengths. "Plus, we can cover a lot more areas and more candidates." Baladad added they expect that the coming elections will be more peaceful compared to the last elections in 2010. Without giving any number, he said the number of election-related violent incidents so far reported was lesser compared to the same period in the last elections. "Based on the initial trends, we believe that the incoming election is a lot safer and a lot peaceful compared to the last elections," he said. Baladad also disclosed that the re-alignment includes the deployment of one Marine battalion in Southern Philippine province of Misamis Oriental about two weeks ago in the aftermath of the April 20 ambush on Ruth Guingona, mayor of the province's Gingoog City. Guingona was waylaid by New People's Army (NPA) rebels after attending a local fiesta, leaving two of her bodyguards dead. Guingona was injured in the attack, along with another security escort.