Additional Philippine Army forces have been deployed to Central Mindanao to strengthen security ahead of the May 12 national and local elections.
Major General Donald Gumiran, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division (6ID), confirmed that a unit from the elite 53rd Division Reconnaissance Company (53rd DRC) arrived Friday aboard a Philippine Air Force C-130 aircraft.
The 500-strong 53rd DRC will support the 90th Infantry Battalion in securing North Cotabato towns and parts of the Special Geographic Area in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), areas classified as election “hot spots” by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Gumiran, also head of Joint Task Force Central, said the deployment is part of a wider strategy to maintain peace and order during the elections. Rex Espiritu
He emphasized the military’s role in ensuring a “safe, peaceful, orderly, clean, and credible election,” with around 5,000 troops now stationed across the 6ID’s area of operations.
