AFP deploys more troops in 3 Cordillera provinces

By Dexter A. See

BONTOC, Mountain Province — The 5th Infantry Division of the Armed Forces of the Philippines approved Wednesday the deployment of more government troops in three “rebel-infested” provinces in the Cordillera to conduct counter-insurgency operations to neutralize the activities of the New People’s Army, especially during the upcoming May 2010 elections.

Maj. Gen. Rommel Gomez, commanding officer of the AFP’s 5th Infantry Division, said the deployment of more troops in Abra, Kalinga and the Mountain Province is consistent with the desire of the Arroyo administration to crush the insurgency movement in the country by the end of her term this June.

However, the AFP official declined to divulge the estimated number of troops deployed in the three Cordillera provinces.

Gomez said the increased troop movement in the mentioned provinces does not mean that these provinces are rebel-infested since the rebels only operate in the remote barangays that are located within the jurisdiction of the provinces.

He said the AFP is sustaining the efforts of the national and local governments to have clean, honest, orderly and peaceful elections. As such, the military is focused on securing the safety of the people, especially those living in rural areas who are the ones being harassed by the communist rebels.

Aside from peacekeeping efforts and counter-insurgency operations, Gomez said the military is also actively involved in securing the transport of the thousands of Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines to their respective areas of destination.

Since January this year, the Army official said there has been a constant deployment of troops in the different parts of the Cordillera, especially after the series of gunbattles between the communist rebels and the government troopers that resulted in the death of at least 15 soldiers and the wounding of over 20 others.

Being a native of this capital town, Gomez said he wants to make sure peace and order will reign in the Cordilleras during the upcoming elections.

The AFP’s 5th Infantry Division has jurisdiction over the Cordillera, Regions I, II and some parts of Region III, especially those at the right side of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX).\