Army to invade metro Iloilo
From the hinterlands, members of the Philippine Army (PA) will soon be a fixture in Iloilo City, as well as other areas in Western Visayas.
The Army invasion is meant to augment the existing police personnel of Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO).
“But we are still waiting for a clearance from the Commission on Elections national office,” said ICPO officer-in-charge Senior Supt. Dennis Basngi.
Based on what was agreed between ICPO and the Philippine Army, one section or some 19 personnel will be sent for deployment.
The personnel will come from the 82nd Infantry Battalion based in Camp Monteclaro in Miag-ao town, Iloilo.
Basngi acknowledged the need for an augmentation force because of the dearth of ICPO personnel over the current populace.
“We are managing but an additional muscle to our force is most welcome,” he said.
Reports said that military personnel would also be helping police operatives in the conduct of checkpoints
The other day, a routine meeting was held between police and military personnel to thresh out necessary security arrangements in Iloilo City.
Basngi said that it was a regular meeting and nothing more.
Aside from 82IB soldiers, it was gathered that an undisclosed number of personnel from the 6th Regional Public Safety Management Battalion will also be sent to Iloilo City, which was earlier placed under the election watchlist of areas (EWAS).
Together, Army and PNP personnel would guard residents and 243,861 registered voters of Iloilo City, 68 polling centers, and 344 polling places.
