Lanao del Norte (outlined in red) (Image from Google Maps)
ILIGAN CITY, LANAO DEL NORTE, Philippines — Stay nonpartisan and keep out of politics, Col. Alex Aduca told Task Force Piniliay troops, who were deployed on Monday to secure polling places in Lanao del Norte, including Iligan, an independently administered city within that province.
Aduca, who heads the election security task force, besides being deputy commander of the 2nd Mechanized Infantry Brigade, urged the troops to keep in mind the mandate of the Armed Forces to ensure peaceful and orderly elections on May 13.
Aduca made this reminder as he sent off three battalions and three companies of soldiers for deployment. The contingent also includes a quick reaction team stationed in strategic areas of the province.
“We are not taking the side of any candidate. Let’s stay neutral so that our position would not be compromised,” Aduca said, speaking in Filipino, told the troops during the send-off ceremony at the brigade’s camp in Barangay Ditucalan in this city.
Aduca said the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) should not get involved in politics to keep its strong foundation as a professional organization.
He also reminded the troops their mission was to secure everyone in involved in the elections — voters, candidates, members of the board of canvassers, and the teachers serving as election tellers, along with poll volunteers.
“Let us ensure that they are safe because if these election workers fail to do their work, we would have a failure of election,” Aduca said. “That is one of our mandates — to make sure that the conduct of election will be successful and this will be successful if there is no failure of elections in any precinct in our area of responsibility.”
At the same time, Aduca told the soldiers to ensure their personal safety and those of their team mates.
“Let’s keep ourselves strong and show everyone that we have the capability to ensure the successful conduct of elections,” he said.
The 2nd Mechanized Brigade covers Iligan City, which has 44 barangays with 184,058 registered voters, and the entire Lanao del Norte, which has 506 barangays with two legislative districts and 504,069 registered voters.
The AFP has earlier identified the towns of Pantar, Tagoloan and Salvador in Lanao del Norte as areas of concern because of the intense rivalry among political clans there.
Aduca said the military would focus more on these towns to prevent a repeat of the violence that happened in the past during elections.
/atm