ADDITIONAL TROOPS. Lt. Gen. Alfredo Rosario Jr., commander of the Western Mindanao Command (2nd from right), announces Friday (Jan. 28, 2022) that more troops will be deployed for election security duty in Zamboanga Sibugay province. Accompanied by Brig. Gen. Leonel Nicolas, 102nd Infantry Brigade commander (right), Rosario met with Zamboanga Sibugay Gov. Wilter Palma (left) Thursday. (Photo courtesy of Westmincom Public Information Office)
ZAMBOANGA CITY – The Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) is deploying additional forces to ensure the peaceful and orderly national and local elections on May 9 in Zamboanga Sibugay province.
“Our soldiers will be deployed to ensure the safety of the people, especially during the election period. We will exhaust all our resources to preempt any terror plan of peace spoilers,” Lt. Gen. Rosario Jr., commander of the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), said in a statement Friday.
Rosario met with Zamboanga Sibugay Gov. Wilter Palma when the Westmincom chief visited the province on Thursday.
Brig. Gen. Leonel Nicolas, commander of the Army’s 102nd Infantry Brigade, accompanied Rosario during the visit.
The two officials discussed the necessary preparations to ensure an honest and peaceful elections, with both agreed that the safety and security of the people is their primordial concern.
Palma reassured the public there is no imminent election-related threats in Zamboanga Sibugay although a town vice mayor was killed in 2021.
Vice Mayor Restituto Calonge of Mabuhay town and Edgar Pampanga, an engineer, were shot dead by two members of the Anwar Ansang Criminal Group in front of the town hall on Feb. 26, 2021.
Wounded during the shooting were municipal employee Hadji Abduhari Gapor and Gregorio Cenas, a retired policeman.
The Anwar Ansang Criminal Group is engaged in gun-for-hire, piracy, and illegal drugs activities in the region.
Meanwhile, Palma commended the military for sustaining peace and aiding in the development of the province.
Palma vowed continued support to the military in all its endeavors.
Rosario thanked Palma and town officials in the province, for their unwavering support that led to numerous accomplishments of the military under the command and control of Westmincom.
Zamboanga Sibugay comprises 16 towns, organized into two congressional districts and further subdivided into 389 barangays and with a population of 669,840 as of the 2020 census.
During his visit to Zamboanga Sibugay, Rosario also looked into the situation of the troops at the 102nd Infantry Brigade headquarters in Barangay Sanito, Ipil, the capital of the province. (PNA)
